#yen collapse

[akkivee]

today is catching up with stage day and i binged on mtr’s and bat’s rep lives back to back and i’m still driven to peak insanity by stage jakurai, stage hifumi’s antics were kinda crazy esp with doppo lol speaking of, i might also be not normal about stage doppo, stage hitoya got to be a menace, stage jyushi only gets cuter and cuter and hooooooooooly shiiiiiiiiiit the power of just letting stage kuukou rock out for an hour plus i am dead!!!!!!! deceased!!!!! perished!!!!!! evaporated!!!!!!!! eviserated!!!!!! destroyed!!!!! decimated—

[styrac0saurus]

kinda wish i had actually just stayed home the last time i had a vacation

im definitely so burnt out that visiting a friend and doing stuff with them every day even if it wasnt technically work actually uh didnt really give me much of a vacation break at all

this sucks

[riaki]

winner | satoru gojo x reader

"i hate you."

three words that destroyed the very world satoru had spent building with you for the past nine months. his footing gives way beneath his feet and he can feel himself slipping, scrambling for purchase on an icy slope while your cold words bite at him like an icy, bitter wind.

his world is collapsing. it hurts to think, and it hurts to look at you, and the way you're looking at him hurts. like he's chewed gum on the bottom of your shoe, mangled and ugly.

you've always been easy on his eyes. god, it normally never hurts to look at you. the burden of his cursed gaze feels a little lighter when the world around him is brighter and sweeter and softer because of your pretty smile. suguru eats sweets to wash away the taste of cursed spirits, and you're the eye candy that relieves the migraines behind satoru's six eyes.

at least, you were.

the hot summer sun beats down against the cement of the sidewalk; the streets blur and waver with shimmers of heat and the mirages of puddles on the road. the two of you stand to the side, shirt pinched between your fingers as you fan yourself to try to alleviate the heat on your skin, wondering why you decided to go out today.

tokyo is hot during the summer. the value of yen is lower than normal, so tourist season swings about like a tsunami, flooding the streets with families and travelers who explore on the trail of their wanderlust. shibuya is crowded and there are foreign footprints all over akihabara. the cute shop awning you're standing under reminds you of a beach umbrella, but the image of hot white sand and pristine crystal waters only makes you feel dizzier with the heat.

satoru is used to the summer heat, and the complaining that comes with it. it doesn't help that lately, it's all that suguru ever talks about. he's starting to think he should've bought a popsicle for his best friend, too.

but then you speak again, and he's immediately snapped back into reality like a slap to the face; your voice drips with venom, normally so sweet but there's poison in your veins, polluting your heart.

"i can't believe you won. of all people." you complained.

satoru gets under your skin like no other.

satoru looks down at his popsicle; a baby blue, soda-flavored. everything seems to come with a soda flavor. icy sweetness melts away, dripping down the wooden stick and sliding over his fingers, blue against his skin like veins of sugar. he rubs his forehead, scowling and squinting. the heat is giving him a headache; the popsicle helped, but your angry glares make him want to hide in the freezer box you both picked your lucky desserts from.

his popsticle stick has one word etched into it; when he looks over at yours, it's just smooth, tanned wood. no marks.

'winner'. that's what it says on satoru's popsicle stick. suddenly, the syrup feels as sweet as strawberry jam in his mouth and the sour look on your face makes it all the better. an unabashed, unbridled grin spreads across his lips stained blue, shit-eating and awful and it only makes you despise your boyfriend more.

so that’s what you’re so pissed at him for. he looks like the cheshire cat with white fur and shades. suddenly, his world is right as rain again and everything is brighter when you look at him like you want to rip his guts out and cook them on the burning hot sidewalk. ah, true love.

he opens his mouth to speak, swiping his soda-stained tongue over his lips, reveling in the way your jaw clenches in irritation as your ice pop melts in your hands under the searing summer heat.

“well, guess we know who’s side the gods are on today—”

“shut up.”

satoru just grins, leaning in and pushing the hair away from your face to press a quick, syrup-flavored smooch to your forehead. the heat clings to your skin, but the little imprint of his lips on your skin leave a cool, tingling feeling that has you smiling, even though you hate that he won and you didn’t.

satoru gets under your skin like no other, and finds his way to your heart.

my (riaki) stuff. don't repost and / or plagiarize !

[riversandwinds]

kiss it better?

a/n: hi hi hi! this is my very first fic, I’ve never written anything before so we’ll see how this goes. please be nice, tell me if you hate it xx ! also I got fed up with autocorrect changing y/n to yen so I just gave her a name 😭

──⭒─⭑─⭒────⭒─⭑─⭒──

summary: Being an art student, Amara’s life gets so stressful around finals week. When everything starts to go downhill, Chris is there to fight with her, and maybe even kiss it better afterwards.

warnings: swearing, angst (happy ending), kissing, not really anything else except for female rage lmfao, no use of y/n

word count: 1.7k-ish

Not proofread 🤓

lots of love ~ Rivvie

What better way to start your day off than with a whole lot of chaos. Amara was jolted awake by the alarm clock’s incessant beeping slicing through her and Chris’s quiet room. Sitting up, her face paled as she saw the time, seeing that she slept through her morning lecture. Panic surged through her, immediately throwing the covers off and shooting up out of bed (much to Chris’s very audible disappointment). She grabbed random pieces of her closet off the floor in a frantic rush, barely managing to get out the door fully clothed with a “Byeloveyousomuchpleasecleanthehouse!”. (She forgot her glasses, then her phone, then her bag, making her run back to their room 3 more times.)

Shouting her final goodbye to Chris, she could feel her phone all but explode in her pocket. She was too disoriented to focus on the messages, so she ignored it, figuring it was just a random group chat. She sprinted through the commons, finally checking her phone after deciding she didn’t care enough to make it to the lecture hall.

lindsey manager (🫥)

sarah no-showed. need you to fill in today asap.

???

amara hello

Of-fucking-course, Amara thought to herself. With a huff, she turned on her heel, making her way to the campus coffee shop. I don’t even have my work clothes, God hates me.

At work, the hours dragged by as she endured her manager’s endless complaints. “You’re late, Amara, hurry up.”, “Where the hell is your uniform?”, “No, you’re not doing it right-“

The poor girl was on edge, to say the least. Her late start didn’t help, either, as she didn’t have any time to grab food from their dorm. She was barely able to handle her hunger as she worked through her shift, her empty stomach cramping by the time her shift was done. She clocked out, silently cursing Lindsey, the shop, and every customer who walked in during her shift.

As exhausted as she was, she called her professor as she was walking out, booking the ceramics room for a few hours. Finals were quickly approaching, and her clay tea set was only partially finished. She headed to the studio, hoping to make at least a little progress on her project and make up for lost time.

Her day only continued to spiral. She’d been in the studio for all but 20 minutes before she wanted to destroy the Earth entirely. As she was leaving the kiln room, tray full of breakables in hand, the door next to her flung open, slamming into her. Not only did it: A) Slam her glasses into the bridge if her nose, cutting her face, but it B) sent her entire tea set to the ground, shattering into thousands of tiny clay shards. Amara’s world collapsed in that moment. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at the wreckage, unable to muster the strength to pick up the fragments. With a choked sob, she grabbed her bag and fled the studio, feeling the weight of her disastrous day press down on her.

Stumbling into her apartment, she hoped for just a semblance of order. But the sight of the messy living room—pizza boxes, crumpled papers, clothes everywhere—made her heart sink even lower. She dropped her bag and collapsed to her knees, her body shaking with a mix of exhaustion and frustration.

“A-are you kidding me?” Amara’s voice cracked as she shouted, her frustration pouring out uncontrollably. “I’ve had the worst day- oh god… I missed my lecture, got screamed at at work, my project is destroyed, and now this mess? I can’t do this-”

Chris, complete with an Xbox controller and a headset, emerged from their room with wide eyes. He froze, his mouth slightly open in surprise as he took in his girlfriend’s state. “Baby, woah, what’s going on?” He set the controller aside and stood next to Amara, honestly a little confused. “Why the meltdown?”

Wrong choice of words, clearly, as her red, tear-filled eyes snapped to his, going wide.

“Why the meltdown?” Amara exploded, her voice rising in volume as she began to frantically clean up the mess. “Because today has been a fucking wreck! I asked you to pick up a little, just a little, Chris! A-and you couldn’t even manage that! I come home to- to this after the worst day of my life, and you’re just sitting here playing games!”

Chris blinked, taken aback by her outburst. “Mar, calm down. It’s not that big of a deal. I was going to clean up, but I got sidetracked. It’s not like—” he bends down to pull Amara off the floor, but retracts when she spits out her response.

“It’s not like what?” she snapped, angry tears streaming down her face. “It’s not like it matters to you? You think I can just handle everything on my own while you sit at home and do nothing? I’m at my breaking point, and all I wanted was the trash off the floor!”

Chris’s eyes widened, his initial nonchalance giving way to frustration. “Hey, I didn’t make your day go bad. I get that you’re upset, but yelling at me isn’t going to fix anything. I’m just trying to understand here!”

Amara’s anger reached its peak. She stood up, maniacally grabbing all of the dirty cups and pieces of trash, stomping to the kitchen to deal with it. “You think I’m yelling just for fun? You have no idea what my day was like! I’ve been on the edge all day, and instead of coming home to something decent, our house is a disaster and you don’t even seem to care!” Throwing her now empty hands up, she lets out a choked cry, pushing past Chris to enter their bedroom.

After seeing Amara sobbing and slamming the door to their room, Chris’s demeanor shifted dramatically. He stood in the living room, the weight of her words sinking in. With a deep sigh, he started cleaning up the mess with a quiet guilt, his movements deliberate and focused. He managed to tidy up the living room, stopping to order Amara’s favorite takeout. He grabbed the blankets from the closet, setting up the couch and scrolling Amazon Prime for a movie to rent. (He eventually settled on Barbie Princess Charm School, figuring it would appease Amara.)

Around 30 minutes later, when Amara emerged from the room, she was met with a surprisingly clean space and the comforting aroma of her favorite food. Chris looked up from arranging the food on the coffee table, his face softening as he saw her. “Look, sweetheart, I’m really sorry. I didn’t realize the house was this bad,” he said, his tone earnest. “I thought I could fix it.”

Amara’s anger dissipated as she took in the scene. “Chris, I—” she started, her voice wobbling with her bottom lip. “I didn’t mean to lash out like that. I was just... overwhelmed.”

Chris walked over and pulled her into his chest, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I get it now. I’m sorry you had such an awful day, Ma.” She shrugged, pressing a kiss to his chest.

Spontaneously-DoorDashed desert arrived around ten minutes later, to which Amara all but inhaled while she focused on the movie in front of her. After almost dosing off for the third time, Chris paused the movie, brushing hair out of Amara’s exhausted face.

“Time for bed, baby. Let’s get you cleaned up, huh?” Chris said, pulling a whiny Amara up from the couch, leading her to their room.

He first took care of the little cut on her nose, placing a small kiss over it when he was done. After she was undressed and her hair was brushed, he helped her into the shower, his touch gentle as he guided her through the calming process. While she was in the shower, Chris busied himself tidying up the rest of the apartment, clearing up their dinner and putting up the clean dishes in the kitchen.

When Amara emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, refreshed and feeling a bit more centered, she found Chris remaking their bed, having switched out their sheets for clean ones. The room was now a haven of comfort, with soft lighting and the faint sound of the unpaused Barbie movie playing in the background. The big lights were off, the room illuminated by the soft string lights on the wall.

“God, Chris,” Amara said, her voice filled with appreciation. “This looks amazing. Thank you for cleaning, baby. I’m sorry I yelled at you over it…” she pouted slightly.

Chris smiled softly. “I know I messed up, and I’m sorry for being kinda useless. I figured this might help some more.”

He reached out and grabbed her in a bear hug, resting his chin on her head. “It’s okay, sweetheart. We all have rough days, and I should have been more understanding. I’m just glad we can talk things out and make them better.” He pulled back to kiss between her eyebrows, the tip of her nose, and a soft peck on her lips, smoothing her hair down with his hands.

He helped her get dressed, slipping a sleep shirt over her head and sliding her underwear and shorts up her legs, kissing her knee with a grin. Amara appreciated his efforts, feeling the weight of her stress lift with each passing moment.

After a few minutes, and a few yawns from both parties, Chris turned off the string lights and the tv, declaring it was bedtime. They climbed into their newly-made bed, snuggling up under the comforter. Chris wrapped his arms around Amara, pulling her close as she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his embrace and the comfort of being understood.

“I really do love you, you know,” Amara said softly, her sincere voice filling the dark room. “Thank you for kissing it better, Chris.”

Chris kissed her forehead gently. “Always, and I love you too, pretty girl. I’ll do better next time, pinky promise.”

As the sleepy mumbling played on, they remained in each other’s arms, the earlier turmoil of the day replaced by a sense of peace and safety.

Finally settling into a comfortable silence, Amara felt her eyelids get heavy. She yawned, pressing into Chris who kissed her forehead with a hum. She relaxed into Chris’s embrace, feeling like a precious stone in the hands of a jeweler. They drifted off, Chris’s immediate snoring lulling Amara to sleep with a lovesick grin on her lips.

──⭒─⭑─⭒────⭒─⭑─⭒──

tags: @her-favorite (u the only one bb 🌝)

[swallowerofdharma]

I’m stuck, so unbelievably stuck and I know why, I’d like to be exhaustive about certain topics of analysis I care about more, but I can’t because I don’t have access to all the information I need. Or sometimes I am unable to put the pieces that I have together coherently. But I shouldn’t forget that just writing down my thoughts even messily can prompt someone else to do their own research and reflections, and maybe help me back with further ideas and suggestions.

But anyway, while I was going down another rabbit hole just to find out the release dates for some of the earliest chapters of Saezuru, I came across the announcement written by Yoneda Kou back in 2015 to promote the release of the 3rd tankobon - from chapter 11 to chapter 16. And just reading through the little synopsis she wrote there prompted me to check out if it was the same text printed on the back cover of the edition I have, the Italian one, and it is.

So just to refresh our memory:

コミックス発売&特典情報

2015年6月1日発売

単行本 H&C comics 「囀る鳥は羽ばたかない3巻」 (大洋図書) 700円

【あらすじ】

真誠会若頭の矢代は、男なら誰でもいい淫乱と 噂される男だったが、部下には手を出さないと決めていた。 けれど、付き人兼用心棒の百目鬼だけは例外だった。 性的に不能で感情を見せない百目鬼の存在は、 何をしても性的対象として見られることのない安心できる存在のはずだった。 一方、何者かの銃弾に倒れた矢代を目にした百目鬼は、 自分の矢代への想いがなんであるのか、はっきりと理解した。 矢代のために変わることを決意した百目鬼と、そんな百目鬼に戸惑う矢代。 ふたりの関係が変わり始めた―!?

Comic book release & bonus information

Released June 1, 2015

Book H&C comics "Twittering birds never fly vol. 3" (Taiyo Tosho) 700 yen

[Synopsis]

Yashiro, the young leader of the Shinsei-kai, is rumored to be a slut (I really love that the Italian edition chose the word “libertino” to translate that one lol) who will do anything with any man, but he has decided not to lay a hand on his subordinates. However, his attendant and bodyguard Doumeki is an exception. Doumeki is sexually impotent and shows no emotion, so no matter what he does, he is supposed to be a reassuring presence who will never be considered a sexual object* (?? see below). On the other hand, when Doumeki sees Yashiro collapsed after being shot by someone, he clearly understands what his feelings for Yashiro are. Doumeki decides to change for Yashiro, and Yashiro is confused by Doumeki's actions. Is their relationship starting to change?!

*The part that I am not clear about 100% is this one:

性的に不能で感情を見せない百目鬼の存在は、 何をしても性的対象として見られることのない安心できる存在のはずだった。

This part can be interpreted as Yashiro not seeing Doumeki as a sexual object or Doumeki seemingly not seeing Yashiro as one - I am unsure which one is, the Italian translation reworded it saying: Doumeki’s simple presence reassures Yashiro because, whatever thing he does, Doumeki doesn’t look at him like a sexual object.

As I said, I wanted to refresh our memory, maybe it could help to collect the synopsis from each volume, since they can give useful indications of what Yoneda Kou wanted to communicate more overtly.

It is nice to me to see direct confirmation of the fact that, before Doumeki regained his ability to have an erection and lost his grip on his emotions, Yashiro was experiencing a new level of comfort and safety in the presence of another man like he couldn’t before and he seemed to seek intimacy in different ways, not all sexually charged - but including sexually charged experiments - taking the initiative and instinctively letting Doumeki closer, while also keeping old boundaries on the emotional level, while Doumeki kept hiding his emotional investment, until he erupted.

The fact that sexual potency is so very central in Saezuru, besides being a signal and a device to build a story, and that the ability or inability to have an erection is associated with fluctuations in terms of dominance/submission, sexual aggression, sexual violence and pleasure is so very interesting to me. The more I pay attention to contemporary discussions about sex/gender, intersectional feminism and transfeminism, the functions and performances tied to having a penis - how they are framed and culturally constructed and taught and enforced - is a topic that has such relevant weight! And Yoneda Kou drawing and playing with these concepts isn’t unrelated or completely accidental: I personally don’t believe that she is unaware of certain implications and meta readings of what she depicts. More food for thoughts, while I try to get myself out of a rut (unintentional pun?) and write down my analysis on the three pages from chapter 4 I keep thinking about next.

Can Doumeki be a reassuring presence again for Yashiro? How nostalgic that would be.

[ironborealis]

Blooding Rite 1/1

The first time Alastor sees a man die, he's surprised.

He'll laugh himself sick much later at the very concept of being surprised at someone dying in a trench, on the front lines of the battlefield, in the middle of what the newspapers are starting to call 'The War to End All Wars'.

Not now though, as he stares at the bloodied remains Lt. James' jaw, hanging off his face as he stumbles back from the radio, his headset miraculously still attached, pulling the entire damned radio down on top of him as he collapses.

Lt. James, from Cincinnati, who moments earlier had been shouting that Alastor best be prepared to go over the top with the antenna, because their reception is absolute dog shit down here what with it pissing rain.

His mind is focused on how this scenario doesn't make sense: He's halfway out of the trench waving a metal baton in the air, desperately searching for a signal, while only James' head is visible -- how did James end up catching the bullet and not him?

There will be time to ponder later about the fickle proclivities of Death, but in the moment he's far too distracted about being tackled down into the trench himself by a blur of gray wool.

Animal instincts take over as soon as his back hits the dirt. Even with the wind knocked out him he's biting, clawing, kicking at the fucking Gerry on top of him. He can feel the kiss of the knife's blade against his palms and forearms as he struggles to protect the softest parts of himself, when he's not being clobbered over the face with the butt of a pistol.

The first time Alastor kills a man is only a few breaths later when he manages to get his own pistol out of the holster and blindly aim for the bastard's temple.

He hits his mark. The Gerry's body sags down on top of him, pushing him deeper into the mud. He's taking large, open-mouthed gasps of air, like a stunned fish out of the water -- at least until the gore coating face starts dripping into his mouth. That returns him to reality in a real jiffy.

He shoves the body off of him, rolling into a crouch as he swipes at his face with his sleeve in a futile effort to clean it. Tries to listen between the thunderous beat of his heart to what is going on around him.

Battle -- gunshots and screaming -- close but not too close, not near enough to him to panic. When he can stand, a quick glance over the top reveals no more Gerries waiting to pounce in the clearing fog, and he can hear his heartbeat start to quiet.

On impulse he pries the Gerry's pistol from his hand, and checks the cartridge.

Empty. Last bullet for Lt. James.

Makes sense, he supposes -- kill the radio operator, cut off communications, then kill the damned fool playing flag pole...

Better luck next time, old chum.

He tosses the pistol down as the sounds of the radio start to filter into his ears.

The radio is still working, that's good.

He pulls the antenna out of the muck and stumbles towards the operator's desk.

Stabs the antenna into the soft dirt on top of the trench.

Rights the operator's desk.

Hauls the radio back onto the desk as gently as he can considering how heavy it is.

Checks his sightlines for any imminent enemy incursions; finds none.

Hauls Lt. James' corpse to lie to one side of the desk.

Reconnects the cable connecting the battery cell to the antenna.

Pulls on the headset.

Ignores the tacky-wet sensation as the ear piece drags across his cheek.

Takes a deep breath.

Remembers that the northerners back at base camp will not understand him unless he talks in that flat, nasal accent they taught him back in special training.

Turns the microphone on and reports in.

"Ni-yen Too Easy, Report. Ni-yen Too Easy, Report." Base command replies.

Microphone's broken. Well fuck.

He slams the headset down in frustration, only for a loud squawk to emanate from the ear pieces.

"Ni-yen Too Easy, was that you?"

Microphone's only mostly broken then... He can work with that.

Pulls back on headphones.

Still ignores the tacky-wet sensation on his cheek.

Uses his pocket knife to start tapping out a message in Morse code on the mouthpiece of the headset.

"Copy that, Ni-yen Too Easy. Gerries sighted on the Eastern flank."

Well, no shit.

He can hear the battle drawing closer.

It takes twelve hours before Alastor finally receives the order to retreat to hand off to the runner to give to command. There's no other signalman close enough to lend him a spare headset, let alone relieve him from his post for as much as a piss break.

Twelve hours tapping out updates and confirmations in the alphabet he learned at his mother's knee, hiding under her desk as she worked.

None of them know Morse code like he does anyway.

By the time he's loaded up the radio and jumped into the back of the transport truck his head is throbbing with the mother of all headaches. His ears feel like they're bleeding. He does his best to hide the trembling in his limbs.

It takes hours to get back to base, and even though he's dead on his feet, he's more ravenous than tired, and lines up outside the canteen.

In a few days, once the casualties are accounted for and word spreads from the signal battalion about his field improvisation skills, they'll start calling him 'Radio Demon' because only someone in league with the Devil himself would have decided to stay in that hellhole, at his post for as long as he had, instead of retreating somewhere safer.

They make it sound like some altruistic act for his "brothers" -- in truth, he hadn't been thinking clearly enough to even realize that retreat was an option. If he had, he would have booked it as fast as possible away from the front line.

Tonight, though, the Radio Demon is rewarded for his heroism with a plate of congealed chipped beef on soggy toast and directed towards some damp benches, sitting out in the rain. The storm's onslaught has taken down one of the base's two mess tents, and Command cannot abide the idea of white officers having to eat with colored officers.

Only the finest for all these brave men dying on the front lines after all.

[centrally-unplanned]

Cool point from Pseudoerasmus on Japan vs the USSR's economies in WW2, that once you step back from raw "weapon output" totals and look at inputs their economies were near parity:

This gets masked by the fact that Japan was overwhelmingly producing air and naval equipment that was of far higher complexity than land equipment. And we do mean overwhelmingly; when measured by "yen spent" the ratio was 20:1 for "vehicles", outlays on land forces were paltry.

The other mask is that this began to collapse in 1944, as Allied bombing and sea lane interdiction destroyed the economic system Japan had built with the resources of its empire, while at the same time the USSR was reconquering territory and stabilizing its own economy. So this parity existed only for ~2 years. But in WW2 those were the only two years that mattered; for that stretch Japan was a much stronger economic power than people realized - it just had the 'misfortune' of being up against the industrial behemoth of the United States.

Also imo a good indicator of how important Lend Lease was to the USSR, a stance I have held and want to dig into more. The USSR was absolutely a bigger economy than Japan's before 1941, but Barbarossa devastated the economic heartland of the country - and less appreciated, radically sundered the USSR's labor force via deaths and mass mobilizations. It became a machine focused solely on outputting food and guns and nothing else, which it did in great quantities, but in the big picture it had decayed down to Japan's level. Without the Allies plugging the "gaps" that specialization produced things would have been more dire. (Would need to bring in much more data to make this point in full ofc)

Japan's "economic miracle" of ~1943 is often paired with Germany's, where both sides rapidly increased output of frontline equipment like planes. I think they are often portrayed similarly, as a "delayed mobilization" too late in the game to make the difference. Germany's story has been challenged extensively (thanks Adam Tooze); sounds like I need to do the same for Japan as well.

[brawltogethernow]

I don't know if you're the best person to ask this but you're the only person on my dash who reblogs Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya shit in 2023. I have to know, did Haruhi... finish? I know it was a light novel series (tho I've only seen the anime) but like did the story arcs conclude? Are they translated?

You've lucked out: I am. It did not finish, but it got a lot further than the anime took you. Everything is translated.

The anime adapts light novel volumes 1-3 and some of 5 (short story collection partially set before 4). The movie adapts 4. I've heard "Endless Eight" is the way it is because they were set on doing 4 as a film, and...didn't just use their episode slots to adapt achronologically despite their existing reputation for doing that for some reason? Incomprehensible. Anyway.

If you haven't seen the movie because it came out after the moment was already dead, you should, even if you were just kind of neutral-positive on the show, because from a purely objective perspective it's a contender for the best quality movie following an anime show that exists. Also that installment is just a much better stopping point than where the TV part left things. Like the ~entire concept~ remains open, but some arcs actually evolve or wrap in a way where you can be satisfied with the story you've gotten.

So 4 1/2 volumes have been animated. There are 13 light novels. 4 is a stronger book than the preceding volumes, and the quality continues to wobble irregularly upwards from there. It pulls off another unprecedentedly good entry that isn't an ending but is a pretty acceptable place to put it down in 11 and 12 (which are functionally one two part book). 13 came out a literal decade later in 2020 and is another short story collection; nice to have but doesn't change the metrics much except to make the indefinite hiatus look slimmer on camera.

All of the books have been officially translated by Yen Press. (They recently did some sort of rerelease that didn't fix any of their typos but removed the slurs they added in the first place? So that's...nice ? ?) Everything they've covered except a chunk of 13 has also been unofficially translated, which I like to keep on hand because while the YP translation is very readable, it...requires a second opinion sometimes. There are also still some loose short stories that only have fan translations, and apparently there's about to be an official release of some nonessential short story collection from twenty years ago I heard about for the first time in my life a month ago. (Also there's a like, officially licensed Koizumi POV fanfiction short, fanlation only.)

Will Tanigawa ever put an actual cap on the series? Idk it's not technically impossible. It seems more likely to me that he'll pull off one more absolutely batshit installment that resolves nothing and then vanish forever except to write a new short story every eight years. It's worth catching up though imho. The later books do a lot to pull the earlier ones up behind them retroactively. Themes solidify, elements that were wavering between parody and deconstruction collapse into sincere reconstruction, the characters actually like each other, that sort of thing.

[eycsnow666]

witcher screenshot compilations

got a bunch of stray imgur links floating around on discord, but here they all are! mostly of character swaps to emhyr. be warned that character swaps involving female->male skeletons may be a bit...cursed ahah. check the reblogs for further additions, because the original post is cranky abt any more links being added to it.

shoutout to @tigerlyla-of-metinna who's done amazing edits to some of these pics and also for enabling my new hobby

Emhyr visits Kaer Morhen

quest is No Place Like Home, swaps are Lambert to Geralt, Yen to Ciri, Geralt to Emhyr. Emhyr graces Kaer Morhen with his imperial presence. in return, the witchers convince him to drink himself silly. welp, what dignity was lost was regained in camaraderie

La Cage au Fou ft.a sad hedgehog

while out trapping monsters, Geralt accidentally captures...the emperor of nilfgaard?? how he got there aside, he's in pretty bad shape and has apparently gone feral. lucky there's a witcher who's been through this rodeo before, so emhyr's in safe hands <3

Roche to Emhyr and Ves to Ciri

quests are Eye for an Eye and Reason of State, with bonus swaps Dijkstra to Dettlaff and Thaler to Regis. Ever wanted to see Emhyr plotting against Emhyr? these pics have you covered! also included: emhyr and geralt being big damn heroes, and drunk uncle Dettlaff giving Regis a headache by quoting Macbeth Vakmeth scenes. See one of my reblogs for this link, bc this post doesn't want to save with it here for some reason.

Emhyr x Geralt hugs (Blood Run quest)

Regis's expressions make Emhyr look so soft 💖

Something Ends, Something Begins (Geralt to Emhyr)

soft moments with Ciri and Emhyr getting some dad moments in.

Ciri's Story: Out of the Shadows (Baron to Emhyr)

Emhyr has a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Emhyr may be a snacc but his daughter's here to make sure he doesn't become a snack (for basilisks)

The Battle of Kaer Morhen ft.The White Flame (Geralt to Emhyr). lots of Sadmyr and tender moments with Ciri

father's day at kaer morhen

Geralt to Emhyr swap, quest is Blood on the Battlefield. Emhyr and Ciri destress with a snowball fight. Geralt's sitting out this one, probably collapsed of sheer shock from learning that Emhyr is capable of experiencing fun.

Emralt, now with reduced clothes!

Yen to Emhyr, the opening scene at Kaer Morhen. yeah these are actually Yen's body proportions bc Yen's skeleton but shhhhh

A Midnight Clear: Shani to Emhyr mod

more spooky scary (animation) skeletons

A Midnight Clear: spiciest Emralt highlights

Geralt x Emhyr action. don't look at the proportions too closely, just lie back and think of nilfgaard

[darkmaga-retard]

John Ellis

Aug 05, 2024

1. Stock markets tumbled on Monday, with Japanese shares at one point exceeding their 1987 "Black Monday" loss, as fears of a U.S. recession sent investors fleeing from risk while wagering that rate cuts would be needed to rescue growth. The safe haven yen and Swiss franc surged, as crowded carry trades unravelled, sparking speculation that some investors were unloading profitable trades to get money to cover losses elsewhere. Such was the torrent of selling that circuit breakers were triggered on stock exchanges across Asia. (Source: reuters.com)

2. Taiwan stocks ended down 8.4% on Monday, a record slump, with tech stocks including TSMC plunging as investors sold off one of Asia's top performing markets this year, spooked by a poor outlook for global tech stocks and the U.S. economy. The main index shed 1,807.21 points, its worst one-day percentage fall, to close at 19,830.88, the lowest level since April 23. The decline was fuelled by a sell-off in tech, and then spread more broadly as the index dipped below the key 20,000 level. (Source: reuters.com)

3. Earlier today, South Korea's stock market marked its worst session since the global financial crisis of 2008, with trading curbs activated for the first time in four years, as tech stocks slumped amid U.S. recession fears. The benchmark KOSPI stock index ended the session down 8.8% at 2,441.55, its biggest percentage fall since Oct. 24, 2008. During the session, the KOSPI fell as much as 10.8%, triggering circuit breakers for the first time since March 2020, which are trading curbs activated when the index falls or rises more than 8% and halts trading of stocks and derivatives for 20 minutes. (Source: reuters.com)

4. A closely watched measure of expected US stock market turbulence surged to its highest level in almost four years today as a global stock sell-off gathered pace. The Vix index of expected volatility in the S&P 500 — commonly known as Wall Street’s “fear gauge” — rose to as much as 41.8 points by morning in London to its highest level since November 2020, breaking above an intraday peak in March 2023 following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. The Vix measures the price of options that enable investors to profit from swings in the S&P 500. (Source: ft.com)

5. U.S. pension funds are beginning to explore investments around bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, a move that could expose millions of former teachers, police officers, firefighters and other retirees to the wild ups and downs of a largely unregulated financial product. In at least five states, industry lobbyists have aggressively hawked the idea, aiming to woo local lawmakers with the promise that digital assets can deliver sky-high profits — often without fully acknowledging the possible risks. The emerging sales campaign contrasts with the broad warnings in Washington that investing in cryptocurrency could leave retirees’ life savings vulnerable to “fraud, theft and loss.” (Source: washingtonpost.com)

6. After more than a decade as a recurring tea-time conversation topic, the delay in retirement is nearing reality in China, set to impact over 500 million workers as the country grapples with a rapidly aging population. The five-year reform blueprint, released last month following a key Communist Party gathering, includes a commitment to raise the retirement age. According to the resolution adopted at the Third Plenum of the party’s 20th Central Committee, China will gradually increase the statutory retirement age based on the principle of “voluntary participation with appropriate flexibility.” For the first time, a key policy document outlines the principles of the reform, fueling expectations that the decade-long initiative will soon be implemented. (Source: caixinglobal.com)

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Daughter of the Rain and Snow

(Should have said this last time but thanks @lunarthecorvus for suggesting I use a song lyric as a title, great idea and I’m really happy with the one I’ve picked!)

Concept: Around ten years after the events of Crooked Kingdom, 25-year-old Captain Inej Ghafa frees Maya Olsen from a pleasure house in Ketterdam. Maya is looking for revenge against the man who out her in her position, a man who she knows nothing about except his name: Kaz Brekker.

Tags: @wraith--2 @lunarthecorvus @just2bubbly @real-fragments7 @ethereal-maia @cartoon-clifford @origami-butterfly

Content Warnings: in more general terms I want to remind people to be aware of the nature of Kaz and Inej's experiences and relationship since even if I'm not directly addressing these things they tend to be implicit in any writing about them, but specifically to this chapter there's implied sa references (not explicit or graphic), imprisonment, implied discussions of death (not explicit or graphic), implied child death (not explicit or graphic), ptsd, drugs (symptoms imply rohypnol or similar drug), trauma responses, violence, and abuse. I also want to be very clear this is from the perspective of a 12-year-old.

Chapter 7 - Aimee

Aimee had been at the Tulip Mill for 263 days. She counted them, one at a time, day after day. That was what the princess would do in a story, if she were held captive by a monster. Draw a tally mark every day until a knight came to rescue her. The Kerch didn’t much go in for princesses, but Aimee had been 12 when the monster took her and 12-year-olds don’t always give up on fairytales as quickly as people think.

Aimee thought that if a princess could save herself then she should, or she should at least try. Aimee had tried. A lot. Eventually, you have to tell yourself that it’s okay if you need to be rescued. That is not weakness, it is just a concession that your type of strength is not the right type to defeat the type of strength the monster has. So Aimee counted the days, and reminded herself that there is no shame in being rescued. Not so long as you tried.

On Day Four, Aimee climbed out her window and ran three blocks before they reached her. The monster wasn’t happy. She locked her in a pitch dark room for two nights, shackled to the wall. But that was okay, Aimee decided, it was just another obstacle. All good fairytales have obstacles. And Princess Aimee was clever; shackled may trap her body but no chains could hold her mind. But the metal wire she managed to rip from her sash bent unhappily in the lock, and the chains did not part. When Yen found the ruined silks, she added the price of them to her indenture - not that Aimee really knew what that meant. By Day Ten, Princess Aimee had devised a real plan.

She’d found a pretty silver ring someone had dropped on the floor and pocketed it - probably a wedding ring. She could use it to get into the monster’s office alone, find her contract, take it to the Stadwatch. They’d see it was nonsense, wouldn’t they? Maybe she could scratch her signature out, or rip it from the page.

“A man gave this to me,” she told Yen, lifting the ring almost above her own head for the woman to see it, “And he told me he’d give me more if I found things out about you, and told him,”

Yen had taken Aimee to her office and for a moment it really looked like the plan might work. But in a flash of a conversation and a hand across her face, Aimee was on the floor, choking on blood and then a rank, bitter taste. The drugs nearly killed her, that first time. The dose was too high, and it flooded her brain. Nearly an entire month of just fits and bursts in her memory, of fever and shivers and throwing up, of more things to bury, of cloudy eyes and weak limbs, of collapsing in the dark and wondering if she’d wake up again.

There’d been more plans and more punishments, and at some point Aimee had stopped thinking about saving herself and started thinking about being rescued. And still, she counted the days. Two hundred and sixty three of them.

But was this 264? She wasn’t my sure yet. Her head was pounding, all she could see were bright white spots clamouring over each other to consume her eyes. She was drugged again, too much. Was she fading? Someone’s hands were on her. Day 264. Close your eyes. Wait. Breathe. Count.

But the hands weren’t moving; one on her forehead, one on her back. They stayed still and steady, and the someone who owned them was whispering something. Aimee could feel her heartbeat rising, then slowing. She started to panic but suddenly her breaths were deepening and she didn’t think she’d done that herself.

“Aimee,”

The someone was saying her name.

“Aimee, can you open your eyes for me?”

They never used her name.

“You’re safe. You’re safe, but I need you to open your eyes again,”

Aimee felt herself groan as her eyelids flickered.

How would this work in the story? The monster had hurt the princess and she fainted, but now the knight had slain the monster and they were holding the princess in their arms. They were begging her to wake up. But would she? In the stories, yes. But would Princess Aimee?

Princess Aimee’s body was weaker than her mind. It was smaller and it hurt. It let her down. But it was still hers. Her mind was too strong to let its body be taken from her. They couldn’t do that. They couldn’t ever own her body more than her mind did. They couldn’t kill her body without her mind fighting back. Her mind could wake her up. It would. It would.

“Aimee, can you hear me?”

Aimee’s limbs were heavy. She was dizzy. Her lungs ached like something inside them was rattling. But she was alive. Her mind was stronger than her body. All she needed to do was stay alive. Just a little longer. Keep breathing.

She opened her eyes and her vision blurred and bled, white stars spinning. The stars were watching over her. Fate was written in the stars; Princess Aimee and her knight mapped across the sky.

“You’re doing so well, Aimee. Try to keep them open for me now,”

Aimee swayed and the hands moved to hold her shoulders. She shuddered. The world slowly sharpened into focus, a room she didn’t know. She was on the floor. The someone with their hands on her shoulders was a blonde woman with long plaits, smiling at her. Aimee blinked and shuddered again, she swayed and felt the stranger’s grip tighten.

“Well done Aimee,” whispered the blonde woman, “You can lean on me, that’s it,”

Aimee let her weight shift, more than anything because she could do little to stop it. She felt the woman’s fingers on her cheek as she brushed hair off her face.

“Did you…?” Aimee’s voice was hoarse and her throat was painful; she felt the words dying in her lips even as she tried again to speak them.

“Deep breaths,”

“It… hurts,”

“I know,” whispered the stranger, still stroking Aimee’s hair, “I know. But we’re going to fix it, together,”

This didn’t feel like being with a knight. This felt like lying in her mother’s lap, ready to hear a story. Her mother used to stroke her hair like that.

“Do you want some water?” asked the woman

“I want…” Aimee’s vision blurred again as her eyes began to brim with tears, “I want to go home,”

Aimee wanted to be on the farm, showing her brother some new exciting toy she’d made - floating boats made from sticks and string, paper frogs you could flick to make jump across the table, even a model carriage she’d whittled with working wheels that you could pull by walking your fingers along where the horse would go. She wanted to tell him bedtime stories with shadow puppets cast on their bedroom wall, or spin him around in the fields on her shoulders until they were both dizzy. That was a good kind of dizzy. This was not.

“Oh, I know,” whispered the stranger, hand on Aimee’s shoulder moving gently up and down, up and down, “I know. We can get you home, Aimee, we can. Captain Ghafa can,”

Captain Ghafa? That, Aimee thought as her vision blurred again and her thoughts swam with her parents, the fields, and a little wooden coffin, sounded like a knight.

[thoughtfulfangirling]

2024 Reads

Another human invented marker of time has passed moving us from one year to the next. It's a good reason to start over my lists right?! XD 2023's list can be found here! 2024 starts below!

You Made a Fool out of Death with Your Beauty - Awaeke Emezi

Pussypedia: A Comprehensive Guide^ - Zoe Mendelson & Maria Conejo

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek -Kim Michele Richardson

Meru - S.B. Divya

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South^ by Radley Balko & Tucker Carrington

Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Tradition, and Spiritual Wisdom^ - Adeline Yen Mah

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong

The Last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg^ - Helen Rappaport]

Pride and Prejudice* - Jane Austen

Fresh Girl - Jaida Placide

Butts: A Backstory^ - Heather Radke

The Girl Who Chased the Moon - Sarah Addison Allen

The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides

The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex^ - Nathaniel Philbrick

A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico^ - Amy S. Greenberg

This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the Civil Rights Movement Possible^ - Charles E. Cobb Jr.

This Is Your Mind on Plants^ - Michael Pollan

The Silent Patient*~ - Alex Michaelides

Finding Me^ - Viola Davis

Wuthering Heights# - Emily Bronte

Exit Strategy~ - Martha Wells

The Girls Who Went Away:^ The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades before Roe V. Wade - Ann Fessler

Bowling Alone:^ The Collapse and Revival of American Community - Robert D. Putnam

Fugitive Telemetry%~ - Martha Wells

The History of Wales^*% - History Nerds

The War on Everyone^% ~- Robert Evans

Searching for Black Confederates:^ The Civil War's Most Persistent Myth - Kevin M. Levin

The Great Influenza:* The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History [2004] by John M. Barry

Network Effect~ - Martha Wells

Zelda Popkin:^ The Life and Times of an American Jewish Woman Writer - Jeremy D Popkin

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon

Medical Apartheid:^ The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present - Harriet A Washington

The Assassination of Fred Hampton:^ How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther - Jeffrey Haas

The Death of Vivek Oji - Awaeke Emezi

Mutual Aid:^% Building Solidarity in This Crisis (And the Next) - Dean Spade

Passin' Through - Luis L'Amour

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store - James McBride

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

Histories of the Transgender Child^ - Jules Gill-Peterson

Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curiosu Man^ - Mark Kurlansky

When I Fell from the Sky:^ The True Story of One Woman's Miraculous Survival - Juliane Koepcke

Dear Senthuran:^ A Black Spirit Memoir - Akwaeke Emezi

Emma* by Jane Austen

Lud-in-the-Mist - Hope Mirrlees

Woman:^ The American History of an Idea - Lillian Faderman

System Collapse - Martha Wells

A Dark and Starless Forest - Sarah Hollawell

The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love^% - Bell Hooks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks^ - Rebecca Skloot

Charity and Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America^ -Rachel Hope Cleves

The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle^ - Lillian Faderman

The Woman in Me^ - Brittany Spears

Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America^ - Gregory Smithers

Being Huemann: An Unrepentant Memoir of Disability Rights Activist^ - Judith Huemann

The Unthinkable: Who Survives When a Disaster Strikes and Why^ - Amanda Ripley

The Writing of the Gods: The Race to Decode the Rosetta Stone^ - Edward Dolnick

Utopia for Realists:^ How We Can Build the Ideal World - Rutger Bregman

The Echo Wife - Sarah Gailey

To Believe in Women:^ What Lesbians Have Done for America - Lillian Faderman

Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

Tribe:^% On Homecoming and Belonging - Sebastian Junger

Freedom^% - Sebastian Junger

Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield

Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea% - Mark Kurlansky

Bridehead Revisited# - Evelyn Waugh

The Witch Elm - Tana Frencyh

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

HumanKind: A Hopeful History - Rutger Bregman^

Autumn at the Willow River Guesthouse - C.P Ward

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World Find the Good Death^ - Caitlin Doughty

(last updated 9/19)

Currently reading: On Killing (print), Plain Bad Heroines (print), A Study in Drowning (Audio), Gideon the Ninth (with spouse), and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (audio to fall asleep to)

Key: * = Reread ^ = Nonfiction ~ = Read with Empty % = Novella #= Doc book club

My goal for 2024 is for 40% of my reads to be nonfiction. I've had two years within the recent past where I managed 20% of my reads to be nonfiction, so I'm aiming to double that. THIS WILL BE HARD FOR ME! Not because I don't enjoy nonfiction but because I enjoy fiction a lot more and have a lot more practice reading it. Haha Also for me, I am in circles where I'm just going to have more awareness of fictional books that I'm likely to enjoy more so than nonfiction. I'm kind of hoping that this years journey will change that a bit too!

Okay, below the cut I'm putting the nonfiction books on my tbr, most of which I have the lovely people of Tumblr to thank for the recommendations!

1968: The Year that Rocked the World

The Age of Wood; Our Most Useful Material...

The Assassination of Fred Hampton

Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the...

Being Human

The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shelf

Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man

Bowling Alone

Brave the Wild: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped...

Butts: A Backstory / Evermore Recommended

The Cadaver Kin and the Country Dentist / Automatuck9

Charity and Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America

Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse...

Dear Senthuran

DisneyWar

Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with...

Finding Me (Viola Davis)

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed...

The Food of a Younger Land

The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women...

The Glass Universe

The Great Hunger: The Story of the Famine...

The Great Influenza

Helping Her Get Free: A Guide for Families and Friends of an Abused Woman

The History of Ireland

The History of Scotland

The History of Wales

How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Indifferent Stars Above

In the Heart of the Sea / ecouterbien

In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death...

The Last Days of the Romanovs / Automatuck9

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer

Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical...

Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During the Crisis...

A New World Begins

Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous...

This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get you Killed / Empty

Radium Girls

The Road to Jonestown

Paper: Paging through History

People's Temple

Pussypedia / Bookstagram Rec

Salt: A World History

Say Nothing

Sea Biscuit: An American legend

Searching for Black Confederates

This is Your Mind on Plants

Unmasking Autism

The Unthinkable: Who Survives when Disaster Strikes - And Why

Watching the Tree / found all by my little self

We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow we Will be Killed...

A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln and the.. / Rose

The Writing of the Gods: The Race to Decode the Rosetta...

I will actually add to this list as I get more recs and whatnot. And I still have some coming which I ordered from Thriftbooks. Once those are here, I'll add those. I'm a little sad there aren't more memoirs, but there's plenty of time for that yet! This is already 37 books, and given lately I've been reading about 70 (nonfiction may slow me down tho), these should give me plenty of ability to reach my 40% goal. Now it's just a matter of if I do it XD

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Mega CD - ARCUS I-II-III

Title: ARCUS I-II-III / アークス I・II・III

Developer/Publisher: Wolf Team

Release date: 23 July 1993

Catalogue No.: T-32094

Genre: RPG

Those of you who played Arcus II: Silent Symphony already know about half-elf Pikt's epic battle against the demon lord Warren. Due to poor game design, the combat itself wasn't particularly special. However, the emotion behind the battle was unforgettable. On one side, a naive orphan crossed oceans and endured persecution to honor the memory of a father he never knew. On the other side, an indomitable miscreant fought to bring carnage, chaos, and justice to the world that screwed him over.

In Arcus I-II-III, Pikt's emotional confrontation against Warren is even more powerful than before. It's hard to shake the image of the blue-skinned demon's twisted face, laughing at Pikt from within a bed of flames. Victory in defeat — it's a bittersweet finale.

Most of you wouldn't know anything about that. You see, by mid-1993, time had already passed Wolf Team by. Their parent company, Telenet, was hemorrhaging millions of yen and losing talented staff members by the month. Projects were quietly canceled or quickly rushed to production to plug bleeding wounds. Telenet's collapse crippled Annet Again (Anetto Futatabi in Japan). It killed Apros: Castle in the Sky. The Mega CD dream was over.

But somehow, Arcus 1-2-3, a revamped compilation of Wolf Team's entire RPG series, survived. Bumped from March to May and then to July, delayed to the brink of death, this CD finally saw commercial release (albeit in miniscule numbers). The game shines with love and care, as though the Sega side of Wolf Team knew this would be their eulogy. Unfortunately, judging by the lack of internet reviews (I found one in Japanese), it has been forgotten.

Similar to the Turbo Duo's well-known classic Ys Book 1 & 2 (Ys I-II), the Arcus games must be played in sequential order. Each of the three episodes stands alone as its own complete dungeon crawler (lasting 20 to 40 hours apiece), but they do build upon each other with progressively more complex dungeons, more challenging puzzles, and more dangerous creatures.

It all begins with an exciting vocal song about Jesus! After that... unusual... introduction, the real story begins with a young knight-in-training, as many stories do. This particular knight is named Jedah Chaff. He soon meets a friendly thief named Toron and a drunken female mercenary named Erin. Fans of Arcus Odyssey take note — you've seen some of these characters before! Each has their own unique and useful specialty; Jedah wields a mighty sword, Erin's chain-dagger can slice through an entire group of goblins, Toron is an expert at disarming poison gas traps (or hiding like a cowardly hobbit), wizards and sorceresses cast powerful and decently-animated spells, archers can pick off enemies at any range, and Pikt... well, 12-year-old Pikt summons the spirits of nature. As in The Bard's Tale, summoned dragons, golems, or Arabian spirits temporarily join the party and behave like additional characters.

Their first quest is to find and appease the golden dragon "Rig Veda". Wolf Team often waxes philosophical in their games, and Arcus is no exception. This time around, they've crafted a story about the evils of war: the golden dragon sits in judgment of the world, and it's up to the heroes to prove humanity's worth. Although the concept isn't entirely original, it makes for an unusually reflective journey that often seems more concerned with exploring the nature of humanity than with saving the world.

Although several of the visual scenes focus on action-packed swordfights, others instead highlight quiet, introspective moments. Imagine a beautiful midnight atop the magical tower of Miryuu: a clear, comfortable night of relaxation spent admiring the twinkling stars... You'd have to be a heartless beast to not be moved by the way Erin tells her story, to not notice the lingering nuances of her voice that betray the disdain she feels for the way she used to live.

Life never stays quiet for long, and this is no exception — Jedah and Erin are about to be interrupted by their blonde Bishounen archenemy! The original PC version of Arcus, released way back in 1988, lacked a compelling "villain" character. Sure, the golden dragon is lurking somewhere in the world, but Rig Veda represents an idea more than he represents a strong, tangible GUY TO HATE. For this compilation, Wolf Team has actually inserted the third chapter's villain into the first two episodes. So, during Erin and Jedah's quiet conversation, a familiar villain from Wolf Team's past appears in a red swirl of mist and unabashedly announces his presence. Luan Khan!

It's nice to see a villain who's not afraid to tell the heroes his name. It's also nice to see a villain who's introduced early in the game, instead of during the last ten minutes.

He's quickly fought off by the group's combined efforts... but he'll appear again, and again, and again. Luan Khan's looming presence throughout the entire disc is a brilliant addition that gives the first chapter a stronger sense of purpose, adds unpredictable suspense (since you never know when he'll appear), and builds anticipation for the game's final battle. Khan is an expert swordsman, but his dark sorcery can twist the hearts of friends and force companions to turn against each other. Across the game's 13 years, from initial hero Jedah to final hero Pikt, Luan Khan is the glue that holds it all together.

Why Arcus 1-2-3 succeeds is that even though its story is deep, insightful, and engaging, it never forgets that it's a game. Even the combat becomes progressively more involved, to the point where random encounters require frequent healing and careful spell selection. Aside from some interesting visual effects, the battles aren't so much graphically impressive as they are mentally engaging. Along with the aforementioned spell management, each character is also able to "encourage" other party members (with actual voices!), which raises their level of willpower (which increases magical effectiveness). Whether it's adult Pikt curtly telling love interest Suu to "hang in there" or the minuscule fairy Ruu-Shan chattering away endlessly, this feature gives battles a unique sense of camaraderie that's missing from most dungeon crawlers. Each character has several different messages, depending on who they're trying to inspire.

As you defeat enemies in battle and gain levels, each character undergoes a complex series of promotions. At level ten, Pikt can become either a knight or a spirited fighter; if you choose "knight", he might later become a warlord or paladin... but if you choose "spirit fighter", he's walking the path toward elementalist or summoner. Each new promotion affects vital statistics, spell selections, and even the weapons that a character can use. This allows for a lot of experimentation. I know I'll be playing the game again, and I'm eager to see how my choices affect character development the next time through.

After exploring over three dozen dungeons, and defeating mad kings, demonic armies, and even close friends, everything ends with an immensely satisfying (and difficult) finale that makes a poignant statement about taking responsibility for those you love. It also ties every loose end together in a convincing and surprising way. There are revelations that I never saw coming, revelations that fill plot holes that most games wouldn't even acknowledge. How did Luan Khan get hold of the mystical sword "Bloody Rose"? The last time we saw that blade, it was in the hands of that crazed devil Warren...

Play Arcus 1-2-3 to the end and you'll find the answer. You'll also find a deep and complex series of dungeons, a legendary soundtrack, an intricate system of character advancement, humorous dialogue, serious discussions, and a story that actually means something.

Wolf Team could have simply ported the PC versions to disc. They could have just slopped all three chapters together and said, "here's your compilation". But instead, they reworked and re-tooled three disconnected adventures to create a unified, meaningful whole. Someday, I'll search the internet again. I hope that instead of one review, I'll find a hundred. Then, I'll know that I'm not alone; I'll know that others heard Wolf Team's cry.

[hoarderofliterature]

goro akechi wakes up.

at first, his legs don't move, and he blinks up at the dark alley. he's bent in an odd angle, not so much that he feels particularly bad, but if he stays in this pretzel for much longer, he's going to have some serious cramps on the train home.

home. huh. where is he? his foot twitches, finally, and his spine pops as he unfurls himself from the cold, slimy concrete. his fingers scrabble at the ground as dull pain lances through his chest, biting back a groan as he immediately stops moving to assess the damage.

one gloved hand carefully reaches up to undo his tie. the first button of his collar. the second. dips inside, and meets the frayed, pink edge of a healing bullet wound. ah. interesting.

well. no time to think about that. that's for later, after he goes home and finds out where the bastard is, and whether his heart was changed, figure out what prison he's in, break in-

breathe, goro. not now.

slowly, he props himself against the filthy bricks. he must be behind the diet building, where he's ended up more than once after a hit. it's routine from here: what time is it. does he have any food. does he have any appearances tomorrow. any visible injuries.

he takes stock of himself. apart from the scar on his chest, there are minor scrapes he can hide with makeup, and- oh. he feels over his left eye. a long gash, also probably pink, runs from his forehead to his cheek. well, anyhow. he has concealer, doesn't he? that's four, out of the way.

two takes longer. he rummages around in the trash heap for his briefcase, which he gingerly extracts after a moment, positively as gross as he is. thankfully, there are some leftover granola bars inside. he bites into one and it's strangely... dusty? but no matter. he'll take what he can get.

god. being in the metaverse is exhausting, every time. his whole body is screaming for rest, each movement of his jaw more tiring than the last. he has to get home before he collapses. and if it hasn't been a shitty fucking day already, his phone is dead.

he drags himself to his feet, sways for a moment as the alley narrows to his lungs and colors and light, catches himself on the wall, pants for air. fuck. he should. he should maybe ask someone. about this. that's. that's for later. he grits his teeth, does not bite his tongue when he bends down to pick up his suitcase, and starts to walk.

the world is cold. the world is pain. goro trudges towards the station, step by laborious fucking step. still winter, he guesses by the trees. just past ten, the clock in the square reads. no scheduled appearances until the christmas event. one. and three. one. and three.

four. he catches himself in the shining metal of a lamp post. there's a large, purple bruise on the side of his neck, probably from the angle he woke up in. he tallies it with the rest.

four. his brow furrows. didn't the station... only have three card machines, this morning?

four. four hundred yen, from here to kichijoji. the fare wasn't supposed to change today, was it? he swears he only paid three fifty on the way here.

four. the old man who always rides this route at night is gone.

four. he stares up at his apartment building, every rapid breath a nail to his lungs. a large sign is plastered over the door.

foreclosed. no. no way.

four. he nearly screams in pain as he trips over a stone in the sidewalk, half-crazed in his urge to get to the club. he's still covered in dirt, sweat, and probably his own blood, but he could care fucking less as he limps down the stairs, ankle probably twisted at this point. he can't find it in himself to give a single goddamn.

muhen's not there.

a woman, tending the bar. one of muhen's old flings, then- she'd been in the corner of his eye, on the stage a few times. she turns. the glint of a diamond ring, sitting on her finger, flashes in the low light. goro's stomach lurches.

he asks anyway if he can clean up in the bathroom. she lets him go, watching as he drags himself inside.

four. the face that stares back at him in the (newly mounted, silver fittings) mirror is haunted, sunken. eighteen. should be dead. fucked up, just a little. he's gonna have to hide that scar forever, huh. fuck. fuck. not now. that's for later.

he ducks into the widest stall, scrubs at his hair with his stupid uniform coat, says fuck it and uses it as a rag for his scars and bruises and grime until he tosses it over his shoulder and stumbles back out. he never wants to see it again in his life. but it's still winter.

he orders a drink. whiskey, neat. hopefully it'll help with the pain until he can find somewhere to sleep for-

the fake id slides across the counter. she only glances between it and his face once, before motioning him to a table. he nearly passes out when he sits down. the side of the chair digging into his leg keeps him tethered. four. four.

he downs the whiskey too fast when it arrives. it burns, hot and raw in his throat. his eyes water, ducts stinging from the unknown exertion. he orders another. drinks it slower until it sinks in. asks for the bill.

his hands shake as he feels around for his phone charger, plugs it into the socket outside of jazz jin normally used for the string lights. it takes fifteen minutes until it buzzes to life- the screen a distorted, wobbly red and black miasma that reminds him too much of mementos. he crushes the receipt from the club in his hand.

four. it slices into his thumb, a shallow cut, but it's the only one that makes him yelp. he licks at the wound, smooths the paper out, trying not to get blood on it. something's off about it.

he peers closer, holds his probably broken, shitty phone over the meager letters for light. scanning, all the way down, name of the club, two whiskeys, muhen's name still on the register, good- the date. the year. the year, it can't be-

one.

goro akechi is eighteen. he wakes up, still inexplicably eighteen, in 202X, at nine in the evening. christmas eve. six years after he fought his father's cognition of him, and lost.

four. at twelve in the morning, he collapses on the street, only found by the bouncer when he steps into the alley for a smoke. dragged into a hospital under the name now more dead to him than the unfamiliar world. sleeps heavy and deep, pallid and still, until the harsh light kicks him awake once more to deal with the fallout.

but that's for later.

[whumpees]

The witcher whump list

Synopsis: Geralt of Rivia is a witcher, a mutant with special powers who kills monsters for money. The land is in a state of turmoil, due to the empire of Nilfgaard seeking to enlarge its territory. Among the refugees of this struggle is Cirilla, the Princess of Cintra, one of Nilfgaard's victims. She and Geralt share a destiny. Meanwhile, another figure looms large in Geralt's adventures: Yennefer, a sorceress.

Whumpee: Geralt played by Henry Cavill

Seasons: 3 (2019-) (24 eps)

Available on Netflix

___________________________________

S01

Ep1: stabbed in the gut and grunts a little in pain

Ep2: knocked out, woke up tied up, beaten while tied

Ep3: fighting a monster, bitten in the neck, grunts, bleeds from his mouth.. slowly collapses and passes out, passed out in bed, utters a name in his sleep, wakes up startled, torso & chest bandaged, holds his side in pain

Ep5: a spell casted on him to sleep (unwillingly) because he had insomnia, sleepy, slowly closing his eyes, woke up in a preson cell chained, beaten while chained

Ep8: bitten in the leg by monsters, limping, collapses on his knees from the bite, passes out, in a carriage pulled by a horse, being talked to by the man who saved him but is delirious and in and out of consciousness, wakes up, the man grabs his wounded leg and he screams in pain, pours a potion in his wound and grunts in pain, while he's talking to the man he slows down his speech and becomes unresponsive and delirious again and the man shouts "stay awake you bastard", wakes up laying on the ground, given medicine, wakes up again, limping

___________________________________

S02

Ep2: arms tied by a monster, repeatedly stabbed in the shoulder by it, ciri hugs him and he grunts in pain

Ep8: punched in the face & bleeds a little

___________________________________

S03

Ep6: in a fight, stabbed in the stomach, hit in the leg and kneels, hit in the back..falls on the ground, in the water bleeding, rescued from shore

Ep7: passed out on the ground with bruised face, broken back and wounded leg, wheezing and whimpering in pain "he's not wounded, he's dying", barely able to utter few words, wheezing and groaning while talking to jaskier (i fucking love his wheezing he looks so weak and in pain)

Ep8: still wheezing and groaning, refuses to eat, asks jaskier to help him up but quickly tells him to stop cuz he's in so much pain, healer tries to heal his leg with a medicine and he screams in pain, gets up and tries to walk before he heals, limping and using a crutch to walk, a woman tries to get him to stop moving until he has healed so she kicks his crutch to show him that he's crippled and can't do anything and he screams in pain but she holds him to not fall "you'd be dead now", tries to train but he's in pain and barely able to move so she hits him again "you'd be dead now, go back to bed, witcher", limping.. trips and falls and screams in pain, yen heals him and he's in sooo much pain

[makipedia]

A request! How about Maki Zenin x f reader! They go grocery shopping and Maki saves reader from a collapsing display of stacked up soup cans?

hope I've explained it well, idk if the scenario makes sense, sorry! ♡♡♡

ABSOLUTELYYYY OMG I LOVE GETTING MAKI REQUESTS I LOVE HERRR I LOVE MAKI I LOVE HER I LOVE WRITING FOR HER SHES SO BEAUTIFUL AND LOVELY AND i ship maki x author she's literally my wife YEAH

pairing: maki zenin x f! reader :33

genre: fluffy fluff fluff <333333

soup aisle.

a pile of soup cans of all things. it could've been a curse or something, but soup cans? it felt so embarrassing to even just look at maki. you always thought you were never really clumsy, so you never imagined a day where you'd be saved from a pile of soup cans.

yeah right.

but before that, you and her had set out to go grocery shopping for yourselves since all the other first and second years can't seem to keep their hands off other people's food. yuji toge and panda had eaten all 5 boxes you'd bought in less than a week. megumi ate all the rice, gojo took all the bread to make the 'ultimate sandwich' for his lunch. he ended up vomiting. nobara got mad at gojo and instead ate all the ice cream. when you and maki found out, you both were livid. you two had spent over 12,000 yen combined on food, and they all ate it in less than two weeks!

so now here you are, walking around the store with your girlfriend. sometimes other girls would peek around the corner to catch a glimpse for a little too long for your liking, and almost started several fights in the span of 10 minutes. you understood why. maki's the hottest woman you've ever seen. and even though maki gets embarrassed, you still have to show the world that she's yours.

"we've got to have a hiding place to put all this food," you comment as you shove the box of cinnamon toast crunch into the cart. maki chuckles and keeps pushing. "i don't think there's a place on campus where the others won't get into it." she replies turning around the corner to the next aisle. your eyes glimmer as you look over and see this huge pile of ravioli cans.

"i'm craving ravioli!" you chirp as you skip from the cart. maki hums and keeps walking down the aisle.

the pile looks like a volcano, the ones you see in cartoons where they stand a little too tall. you pouted as you eyed the pile up and down. you thought if you took even one from the pile, the rest would tumble down like a jenga tower and flatten you.

deciding that you'd go for it, you reached for the one that was dead in the middle. you had to get on your tippie toes to reach the middle.

right as maki looked your way to see if you had gotten the ravioli yet, she saw you about to topple into the soup can aisle. she huffed as she left the cart and sped over to break your fall, wrapping a strong arm around your torso and pulling you away from the pile.

"you really should be more careful." she commented as you sat in her arm, watching a can tip over on the corner. her voice full of saccharine flowed right into your ear and your cheeks blushed, the flush spreading from one end of your face to the other. she chuckled at your expression then released her hold around you and walked off with that soup can in her hand.

your cheeks puffed as you pouted and you stomped over next to her. "you didn't have to do that." you mumbled. maki let out a hearty laugh and kept walking down the aisle. "oh, but i did." she replied, looking at you with a smirk on her face.

you rolled your eyes and kept walking next to her with your arms crossed and a pout on your face.

---

the difference between how i write for maki vs how i write for others is unreal.