#my story will be starring me‚ just like yours ; goro

[sixteen-juniper]

Book recs

Literally just every book I reference in Rose and Rot as I remember them. I'm linking to goodreads, for you, please enjoy! :D

The Complete Brother’s Grimm. (obviously) Has its fingerprints all over this story. I go into detail on certain chapters when I borrow something directly from Grimm. The beauty of these stories is that they are in the public domain, so have fun reading them for free!!

East of the Sun, West of the Moon Title of chapter eighteen, it’s the name of a fairytale I like. And that phrase has been stuck in my head since June whenever I think about this story. It's where the forest is located in my brain!

Aarne-Thompson-Uther Folklore Index For tale-types and tropes. I consulted various indexes online a lot.

Argumentum Ornithologicum - Jorge Luis Borges The title of chapter 2 comes from this story.

The Library of Babel - Jorge Luis Borges Goro finds a part of Borges’ library at the end of chapter eighteen.

The Word for World is Forest - Ursula K LeGuin Title of chapter five, I'm always going to recommend reading at least a little Le Guin at some point in your life.

Exhalations - Ted Chiang Mentions obliquely in chapter twelve. Ren finds a book in Goro’s abandoned apartment and it is implied to be this.

Stories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang Goro mentions reading this in chapter thirteen.

The City in the Middle of the Night - Charlie Jane Anders Goro quotes one of my favorite lines of all time ‘ 'these things go from being "moments that I need to survive right now" to "things that will always have happened to me.'’ in chapter sixteen. I think about it a lot.

Hell is the Absence of God - Ted Chiang A quote is a future chapter title. Guess which quote! I love this story so much, you all have no idea.

Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino At the end of chapter eighteen Goro thinks of finding Calvino’s invisible cities on the other side of the ocean.

Piranesi - Susannah Clarke Just a big influence on the story. If you remember Goro’s hall of statues, that’s a direct line from Piranesi to my brain. My favorite quote is reserved as a future chapter title.

Goblin Market - Christina Rossetti Not mentioned but the influence is there!

House of Leaves - Mark Z Danielewski Goro mentions reading this in chapter thirteen. A quote ‘’You might try then, as I did, to find a sky so full of stars it will blind you again” is a discarded chapter title for chapter twenty-four.

Walden - Henry David Thoureau Goro mentions reading this, and a quote is the title of chapter twenty-three.

Ursula K LeGuin - Various works Mention in chapter 13 I think the entirety of the Hainish Cycle, with an emphasis on ‘The Left Hand of Darkness’ and ‘The Dispossessed’. I will also toss in Earthsea, specifically The Tombs of Atuan.

Octavia Butler - Various works I’m gonna say Goro is reading the Xenogenesis books in Chapter thirteen, alongside Kindred.

#rose and rot #book recommendations

[ur-friendly-nbhd-cardassian]

Hello there!

a little "about me" post

I'm a very long-winded person and when I like doing something, I like doing A LOT of it. I recently moved to Tumblr full-time after being stuck with 200-symbol posts on Twitter (ugh), so I'm using the full power of this blogging platform. I'm concerned about the AI, so it's all switched off on all my blogs. I hope Tumblr will wise up and survive, because I love it here so far 💛

I have a lot of fandoms, I like pretty art, I write and muse about stuff - it's all a huge mess if I put it one place. So that's why I decided to split my obsessions into several neat piles, so people could have an easier time decining whether to follow, ignore or block my stuff according to their preferences.

Here are my blogs which you're free to explore and follow as you like:

» ur-friendly-nbhd-cardassian

The main blog where I shout into nothingness. But where I also post lots of Star Trek, mainly about Cardassians (bc I love them). I do not do Garashir, tho, look for that particular bit elsewhere (not bc I don't ship them, but bc I'm severely overfed to the point of having an allergic rection). My focus Cardassian is Damar, followed by Dukat. I'm super open to reblogging your OCs, though. My other favorite fandoms you might come across on this blog (which I don't post enough about to make a separate blog): Mass Effect, Discworld, Tolkien, Detroit: Become Human, Apex Legends, Marvel/DC, Hunger Games. I also ramble, post about writing in general, reblog some fitting memes and pets/animals, share my own photography, reblog art etc.

» pixie-in-a-moonlantern

The initiated already know: Baldur's Gate 3 brainrot blog. I post my OC screenshots, maybe some stories, perhaps one day I will even finish a fic (started one, didn't finish). My all-time favorites are: Halsin, Gale, Rolan, Emperor. I do not have any VP tools, so my screens are only lightly edited to be prettier, and that's it. I do not draw or paint (tho I so want to). It's mainly reblogs and discussions so far, with my screenshots sprinkled in between.

» shaved-wampa

Diehard fans surely got the joke: Star Wars brainrot, and that goes for every conceivable piece of the fandom, even the bits you might not agree with - I don't discriminate. My all-time favorites are: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Bode Akuna. Yes, just the two, because I also have a huge pile of characters I love, but don't really focus on: Padmé, Ahsoka, Ventress, Plo Koon, Kit Fisto, Din Djarin, lil Grogu, Cody, infinite number of other Clones, ... soooo many. My top two are just the guys I actually write about. Bode is getting his fic right now, Obi-Wan's is on hold.

» cyber-vianne-77

As the name suggests, this is my Cyberpunk 2077 blog. I used to do a lot of virtual photography in that one - and yes, this time I mean real VP, though still no paid tools, just vanilla and free mods. I love Goro Takemura and ship my fem V with him heavily - wrote a dope fanfiction about them, too. I reblog other cp77 vp (especially of Goro) and fanart. I don't currently play the game or shoot photos, but I have a large collection I plan to drizzle over the next few months, until I maybe decide to go back to cp77 for a while again and finally play Phantom Liberty that's been waiting for me for a long time now xD.

» goodness-all-around

My "assorted dopeness" reblogs. I love pretty pictures and I love supporting artists in my own small way, so it'll be reblogs of general beautiful things I can't stuff into my other blogs, and reblogs of commission offers. Perhaps even some theory and discussion if I happen to like any.

I will update the list if I happen to change things or add/remove blogs. Thanks for your attention and see you in the activity notifs! 💛

Bits of trivia: I'm Czech, cis woman (bi & poly and, frankly, hyper), 32, in a relationship, mom to a 5yo boy, a writer struggling to finish and publish her first original novel, drowning her sorrows in fanfic instead :). I got to most of my fandoms quite late in life, because where I live this info only started to properly flow in with the coming of the internet. I'm usually a casual fan, though when I hit a gold vein I can get a bit obsessed. I love writing fanfiction, which is mostly why I'm here on this site. I self-insert a lot (therapy writing) and usually ship us, with the rare occasion of finding a couple where I can identify with one of them (or mold them to my image because I like or even fancy them). I've spent my life believing I was hetero and discovered I'm not only once I (finally) was in a hetero relationship and had a kid, so... my ships are also hetero. It's a habit, not hating, I don't discredit any gay ships (maybe quietly to myself when they don't make any sense to me character-wise, lol). My AO3 account: XindiChick I usually try to write even the most niche of my ships in a way that doesn't require much knowledge of the original, so you're welcome to browse and read to your heart's content if you happen to like my style. I welcome any interactions, especially comments, because I don't get many.

I think it's something everyone should always be aware of, but I've also seen many people ignoring this unsaid rule:

HATERS NEED NOT INTERACT

- lest they get blocked. I'm not here to argue with you about why I like certain characters and why you think I shouldn't. Go simp for your own top picks on your own blogs and leave me alone. Same goes for any of my personal trivia I shared.

Also:

DISCLAIMER: My blogs are a safe space for everyone who doesn't go around hating on everyone else. I will block assholes of every shape, color, faith, gender, orientation etc. indiscriminantly, just as I will happily interact with good people of any kind. Idc what your deal is, I just wanna enjoy being on this platform, so if you plan to rain on it, don't expect me to indulge you.

Icons by: @rpschtuff

By the way, a fun fact known only to people aware of my main fanfic novel, The Casualty, the Cardassian in my username was actually born Bajoran, but raised Cardassian, which is why she's a Cardassian in heart and spirit. She's your friendly reminder that not all Cardies are the same and as a nation have the capacity to be much better than how they were presented in the DS9, which is what she's trying to achieve.

#ur-friendly-nbhd-cardassian blog masterlist

[skania]

Why did Aqua and Ruby have white star eyes on one side ever since they were born? Is there something that triggers it? Is it because they reincarnated?

When Ai's death they still have eyes with one star but sometimes Aqua is seen with his black star eyes at certain times with something that triggers (but only at that moment/not for a long time, only at that second)

Aqua -> After he found out that his father (Seujuro) had died, the star's eyes completely disappeared. Aqua feels free in revenge and lives his life as Aqua without Goro's shadow (living in his past. He has received his second chance to live a normal and happy life.) However, it turns out that his real father (Kamiki) is still alive. However, that fact didn't make Aqua awaken both black star eyes or his one star eye, why? The black star's eyes appeared as Aqua monologued in his mind thinking about Akane who was in danger and also all Aqua's worries for Akane, he also ended his happy days with Akane and chose the wrong path. Isn't this the trigger? The biggest trigger was that he was forced to end his relationship with Akane?(When he called, Aqua said he didn't want to end his happy days with Akane, Aqua also said he wanted to live happily ever after like that with Akane), Aqua also realized that Akane was in danger when Akane said she actually felt like the person was deliberately pushing her to make her fall (Aqua looked really shocked at that time). This black star eye continues to exist until the newest chapter.

Ruby -> Same with Aqua, she was also born with one star eye. Ruby activates her black star eyes upon learning the fact that Goro is dead and someone is purposely killing him. Doesn't that mean Goro's death makes him even more sick, suffering and full of revenge? Later, after chapter 123 came out, Ruby found out that Aqua was Goro and it seems that made her black star eye (which was the trigger) disappear. Leaving one white star as before, why? Has she still not come to terms with avenging Ai's death? or she haven't accepted herself as Ruby? Is her past as Sarina still lingering?

I can conclude both of them were born with 1 white star eye, then Aqua and Ruby awakened the black star eye because it was triggered by two people who meant something to them. Aqua -> Ai and Akane Ruby -> Ai and Goro

What do u think about this theory? I'm not a big shippers A or B or C. I'm enjoying the story more and i love Himekawa and Frill lol. I found your account so famous in this fandom for making good theories and giving honest opinions! Nice dayand happy weekend, Kanae!

Hi anon! First of all, thank you so much for the kind words!! I don't consider myself a good theorizer, but I do love analyzing stuff so I'm really glad people have been giving my thoughts a shot and sharing their thoughts with me in turn!

Listen, here between us: I love that theory! In particular, something that has always stood out to me is that Aqua's black stars don't come from finding out that Kamiki is alive. They, just as you say, only appear once he has given up on Akane and thus, on the "naive thought of being happy". So I'm really glad to see you mention that, because I do think it's huge!

I had a similar conversation with an anon the other day, and my thoughts basically are: I think the black stars are brought out by despair and negative emotions. I think that for Ruby, assuming that Goro was still out there somewhere and that he may find her gave her hope. It kept her going when things got hard. Knowing that Goro died and that his and Ai's killer is still out there makes Ruby despair, so she throws her naivety to the side and chooses to devote herself to the lonely road of revenge. Something similar happens to Aqua when he has to give up on Akane: it represents the moment he loses all hope of being happy and goes back to being alone, this time devoting himself to revenge for real.

That's the unbiased side of my brain, the biased side is 100% rooting for your theory, specially because I believe that Akane was a light to Aqua in the same way Goro was a light to Sarina 😂 In both cases though, I do believe that Aqua getting his white star back should have a link to Akane—be it through something that Akane does, or simply through the fact that believing that he can be happy again will allow Aqua to let Akane back into his life.

I'm indifferent to Frill but I love Himekawa too! I'm eagerly waiting for him to show up again.

Happy day and nice week(end) to you too, anon!

#onk asks convos #my aquakane meta #I'll personally travel to Japan and give Aka flowers if he canonizes this theory #the way I'll cheer if Akane is the one to bring the light back into Aqua's eyes lmao

[narrators-journal]

HIHIHIHIHI:3 I saw ur request box open can u pls write Loki helps goro breed (f)Reader ?

My brain has been absolutely NOTHING but Ryomina. Be it Smut or general thoughts, it’s alllll just Ryomina EXCLUSIVELY. Sooooooo, I. Struggled. Akechi never struck me as someone who would hook up with anyone outside of mayyyybe joker, and even then I don’t entirely see their chemistry. Loki? Yeah, I could see him being a horny bitch, but not so much his user lololol. So cooking up a scenario that fit the prompt was a bit tricky.

So! I just went HAM. I just leaned into some fun experimentation on how to portray some smut. So! It’s short, a lot is left up to imagination, it’s a little vague, but I hope it’s still enjoyable and fun in some way.

CW: implied non-con, teratophilia, and pregnancy! Be warned! There’s also pretty blatantly stated blackmail. Please be very mindful as you read below the cut.

The human body is almost known for its durability. A tumble down a cliffside, gunshots, stabbings, freezings, all had a chance of survival. So, it wasn’t a surprise that the human body was capable of being stretched and filled to an insane amount, right? Your belly may bulge, and your skin may be littered with varied cuts and bite marks, but you could survive. You didsurvive.

Your skin was decorated in scars that varied in their severity, and the strength of your reputation as a star was hung over your head like some fucked up version of mistletoe, but you were alive to tell the tale. If...it wasn’t a story that would’ve gotten you thrown into the grippy sock hotel.

But, regardless of whether or not you’d be believed, you were alive. You’d survived being stuffed to the brim with an inhuman cock, and you’d lived when the nightmare Zebra, bull thing that loomed over you had filled your belly with enough molten desire that your skin had felt ready to split apart. Of course, you couldn’t mention what had happened with that demon, but you...could move on from it. You could...do what Akechi demanded and hopefully get him to erase the video he’d taken. Then, you can finally completely forget what had happened.

The way that demon’s cock had slowly drug against every inch of you, the feeling of his claws when they bit into the skin of your sides and back, the...way something seemed to lingerin your body, even after the demon had filled you until boiling...fluid, had begun to drip out of you. You could leave it all behind, get rid of it in some way. Right?

All you could do was hope. Hope, and survive the rancid predicament once again.

#Persona 5 #Persona #Loki x reader #Akechi Goro x reader #kinda #persona 5 royal #x reader #scenario #ask #not sfw #spicy #dark #lemon-scented #short

[wanderingaldecaldo]

💕 self-love time! talk about which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to other creators to do the same 💕

Thank you so much @kohnnor!! 🥰

I posted about Val as the creation I like the most for the first ask I got, but by god I'm gonna answer every one of these because I'm really proud of all the stuff I've made in the last few years!

My longfic No One's Gonna Love You is right behind Val as far as creations I love. As I mentioned in that post and in others, I hadn't felt compelled to write in a long time. I have a couple of WIPs from DA:I and ME2 that I would pull out to work on whenever I had inspiration, but that wasn't often. I wouldn't say that I missed writing so much as the idea of being a writer.

When I started Cyberpunk, I had no preconceptions about the NPCs or romances, and I certainly didn't expect to fall for a minor NPC with not much screen time. (This is the first time it's happened to me, actually.) Initially I was captivated by Goro like so many others, but I fell in love with Mitch when V woke up in Pan's truck during The Star ending, and he was waiting for V to wake up. Any thoughts of writing a Pride & Prejudice inspired fic between Goro and V flew out the window because of those beautiful blue eyes.

For months Val and Mitch consumed my brain. I stayed up late every night to write, pouring more and more of myself into the story, learning more about both Val and Mitch as I went. At the time, I felt it was some of my best prose, like the intervening years that I hadn't been writing but was still consuming other media didn't matter. As if I was able to translate the years of experience I'd accumulated into words that could evoke feelings. What was meant to be a fun, smutty romp turned into a study of grief and loss.

And I found a new freedom to play like I hadn't experienced before. I experimented with the narrative; used repetition in different ways; played with flashbacks and dialogue; left room for characters to breathe and tell the story their own way. I had more fun writing that story than just about anything else I'd written to that point in my life.

More than that, I also learned how to create for myself. It didn't matter that I ended up in rare pair hell with few people there to cheer me on, because I was the target audience for the fic. It's the most self-indulgent thing I've written, because I wrote it for me.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. Words aren't as exciting or captivating as pictures, but words are my life, and these words in particular are some of the best words I've ever put together.

Chapters: 7/7 Fandom: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mitch Anderson/V (Cyberpunk 2077), Female V/Mitch Anderson, Referenced Mitch Anderson/Scorpion, Mitch Anderson (Cyberpunk 2077)/Original Character(s) Characters: V (Cyberpunk 2077), Mitch Anderson (Cyberpunk 2077), Streetkid V - Character, Panam Palmer, Carol Emeka, Cassidy Righter Additional Tags: Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, Spoilers, The Star Ending (Cyberpunk 2077), Angst, Angst and Feels, Porn with Feelings, Porn With Plot, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Gratuitous Smut, Shameless Smut, like a ridiculous amount of it, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexual Character, Stand Alone Series: Part 2 of Into My Arms Summary:

V studies his face, half shadow, half moonlit. He is handsome, now that she’s looking for it—once broken Roman nose, full, expressive lips, slate blue eyes now full of concern, the scar exaggerated by the shadows. How could she have missed this, missed him? So much time wasted.

#cyberpunk 2077 #mail time! #kohnnor #thank you so much for the ask! <3 #i love this piece sm #always excited to talk about it #cyberpunk fanfic #wash's writing #mitch x v #mitch x fem v #mitch x val

[duderogenous]

Looking for something unstandard and would be so excited to make a friend who's into similar things!

CW: +18, possible controversial content

I would really like one role-play partner who is *flexible* – and I offer the same! Semi-lit to lit, one sentence to paragraphs upon paragraphs, IC interrupting text messages - all are good.

I lose interest (and re-gain it) fairly quickly and am busy with work, so someone looking for something casual and/or has a lot of patience is ideal. Even dropping one RP to pick up another is something I'm down for.

It'd make me happy if you're interested in fleshing out a story -- even if/SPECIFICALLY if that means using my character to complete your scene! I'm interested in doing the same, but if you're uncomfortable with that or the possibility of god-modding, I can work with that and stick to my lane. >:) I just really wanna try something new and see a narrative fulfilled, so if you can give me some guidance and an idea, I'm all ears.

I usually don't like canon-compliant rps and instead love trope-filled fantasy + AUs in general, but again, I'm really looking for something fun so if you have a premise to share and I find it interesting enough, hit me up.

I've got a weak stomach so I personally can't delve into heavy topics (eg. non-con & gore) but it all depends on warnings, talking before hand, and what the story needs! 🥰 I do like NSFW but have never rp'ed it – that won't stop me..!! c:<

I'm most interested in writing BL ships but not limited to it. Below are my current beloveds with the asterisk being who I'd prefer to write (although I'm capable & willing of either):

Mystic Messenger

Zen* X Yoosung

Poly RFA (Main 5 X MC)

Twisted Wonderland

Leona X Ruggie*

Vil X Rook*

Malleus X Lilia*

Lilia* X Idia

Ensemble Stars

Wataru Hibiki X Hinata Aoi*

Rei Sakuma X Hinata Aoi*

ANY chara besides Yuuta X Hinata Aoi*

Kanata Shinkai X Kaoru Hakaze*

Rei Sakuma X Kaoru Hakaze*

Wataru Hibiki* X Rei Sakuma

One Piece (warning: not caught up + v possibly ooc)

Ace X Sabo*

Scum Villain

Luo Binghe X Shen Qingqiu*

Persona 5 (warning: not caught up)

Goro Akechi X Protag Akira Kurusu*

I'm only looking for one roleplay partner right now due to time and energy constraints, so I apologize if this post disappears eventually. I am 23 and chill with most things. If you think we'll get along, please message. ♡

Roleplay will be on Discord (and I've never done one in a server with all the fancy tools & bots successfully, but if you can teach me, I'm extremely interested).

Thank you!!!! <3

11/10 edit -- still open! ;)

#anime roleplay #anime rp #mysmes rp #sk8 rp #enstars rp #twst rp #svsss rp #p5 rp #bl rp

[nyxcaelum]

My Fanfics Masterpost

These will be sorted by length, and each by fandom underneath. They are all on AO3, I moved all my works to their archive.

I keep this list up to date as good as I can. In this case, all fics unless stated otherwise are written romantically, just to make it easier I use & instead of / for the Ships.

Works in Collections will not be listed each one by one, but instead can be found under the "Collection" tab.

Yuukoku no Moriarty/Moriarty the Patriot

Rated 18+: All are Sherliam unless noted otherwise

Three Minutes in Heaven

The color of Depression - Albert & Mycroft

Sinful Indulgence

Desire, Flavor, Bliss

On Fire

General Audiences, Teen and Up:

Memories lost at Sea

Watching Fireworks together

Dancing in the Moonlight with you

Between Strawberry cake and coffee

Trigun

And we took the leap (explicit), Vash x Wolfwood

Love your next like you love your coffee, with or without milk and sugar. (CW: Incest) Plantwood /Vash x Wolfwood x Nai

Bungo Stray Dogs

Soukoku:

Kissing Strangers

Addictive Whispering

Oda & Ango:

A Promise of a lifetime

Sunshine & Pancakes

I´ve always liked you, you know

Hypnosis Mic

A heartfelt talk at dusk - Hitoya & Jakurai

Sugary sweet Sleepover time - Fling Posse Fluff

Drunken Confessions - Doppo & Hifumi

Persona

Signs of Love - Protag/Akira & Akechi

Arknights

Cold, cold, twisted hearts and an unusual proposition - Doctor & SilverAsh & Gnosis

Sk8 the Infinity

Usagi to Yuki - Reki & Langa

Prickly like Soda, Sweet like Juice - Reki & Langa - unfinished, probably will never finish it

Shall we Date? Obey me!

Maybe you´re the reason I can´t sleep - MC & Belphie Sleepy Fluff

Idolish 7

A Confession - Tsumugi & Gaku

Vanitas no Carte

Tarte Tatin, for my beloved - Vanitas & Noe

Fate Series

Under the Christmas Tree in NY - Saber & Gilgamesh (was a work for secret santa)

FMA

And do they? - Roy & Riza

Fairy Tail

A drop of Sake - Jellal & Erza

Tears of Themis

Curry together tastes better than having it alone - Rosa & Vyn

Sleeping Together - NuCarnival Fluff One Shots (All guys)

Tunas DOA & Hunting Dogs Crack One Shot collection

Tunas Genshin Reader Fics (Eng, Ger, and 18+ available separately inside)

Yuukoku no Moriarty/Moriarty the Patriot

Oh woe me, my sick heart - Will & Sherlock

In solving Crimes, we find Love - Will & Sherlock

Tales of

The sun and the moon and the stars Mikleo & Sorey mainly

These are all basically German works.

Nur jeweils eine Fic:

When the Devil meets the Fox - BSD Soukoku

Empty Dreams - LoL SettPhel

-> LoL Novel lange Fanfic Collection

Cantarella - Arknights Doctor & SilverAsh

Blindfold of Love - Riza & Roy

Mein Servant und Ich - Fate Grand Order Misc. Geschichten

Rabenschwarz - Tekken Jin & Reader

The little Sweets - My Hero Academia - Ochako & Bakugo

In the name of Love! - Soul Eater - Blackstar & Tsubaki

At the end of a long escape - Resident Evil - Sherry & Jake

Grandiose Stadt - TEWY - OC & Joshua - freundschaftliches Ship

Der der die Sonne stahl - Noragami - Iki & Yato

Winterwunder und blaue Jeans - Miraculous Ladybug - Adrien & Marinette

Persona

Schwarzer Kaffee - Protag/Akira & Makoto

About the Pleasant Boy - Nur Goro Akechi

Tales of

Abends in der Taverne - Zaveid & Eizen

Memories of Brother - Eizen & Edna Drama

The tale of the time traveling Girl - OC/Autor Insert & Zaveid

Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy x Reader Short Stories - Collab mit Schwester , mit den 15. Protagonisten

Nacht des Kristalls - Generelles Abenteuer mit Luna, Noctis, Ignis in AU

#fanfiction masterpost #all my works sorted and listed #ao3 fanfic #sooo many fandoms #jesus christ man

[hunterguyveriv]

MonsterVerse Skull Island series and thoughts before launch:

So tomorrow, the MonsterVerse animated series/sequel to the movie Kong: Skull Island will debut on Netflix. These are my thoughts and views on the pending series and previous shows on Netflix. These are my impressions of the trailers before the premiere.

Let me be perfectly blunt; I am a Kaiju Fan. I live, breathe and eat up anything Kaiju-related, whether Pacific Rim, Ultraman, Independent companies, or the BIG THREE - Kong, Gamera and the King himself, Godzilla. So, when I go into a Kaiju project, I want it to be successful. In the age where Superhero movies are successful, and both Star Trek and Star Wars are experiencing a revitalization, each Kaiju, whether it be Godzilla, Ultraman, or Kong, needs to be just as successful as the last.

I don't expect much from “Skull Island.” Based on the teaser released a couple of months ago, I hoped to span the gap between the last line of the titular movie “Kong’s Not the only King out there and the Philippines 1998.” You know you build some lore for the MonsterVerse before AppleTV’s Monarch series emerges.

Instead, it will be another project for Tweens in which Netflix can jump on the Kaiju Bandwagon and get some residual fees. I will give it three shots/viewings like I did Pacific Rim: The Black and post my thoughts afterward. And if I like it, my tune will change towards it. But the series has a critical strike against it. Lack of promotion - a teaser, trailer, and two exclusive clips mere hours before release?

Now I know it hasn't aired yet, so I can’t tear it apart as I have done to previous Netflix series I was interested in: Voltron, Masters of the Universe Revelation, Ghost in the Shell SAC 2045, Pacific Rim The Black, and others that I was interested in. But Legendary and Netflix, COME ON! If you want your product to be successful with Kaiju fans and others in the audience, you need to promote it every chance you get, ESPECIALLY YOU Netflix! You can’t just rely on Netflix audiences scrolling, looking for something interesting to watch.

Now when I go get a chance to write a review, I will base it on the following, and I will warn you I will be honest with it, I grade it based on my grading of anime series:

Characters - Are they relatable and character growth?

Story - How does it play out with the rest of the MonsterVerse? 

Tone - Does it feel like a classic kaiju movie or a typical American action movie/show that features kaiju or, as they are called in MonsterVerse, "Titans."

Plot - Have they thought the entire plot/storyline through? How many plot holes are there?

Promotion - Toys and Merch/Trailers/Images/Clips/Voice Actors promoting but not spoiling or supporting fan head-canons?

Voice Actors - How are they? Do they fit the characters they are portraying?

Soundtrack - Enough said

Is it something I would recommend to fans and non-fans?

Remember, I live, breathe, and eat everything I can watch and read on kaiju. I have done so since I was 4 in 1986, watching Godzilla 1985 for the first time. And I am brutally honest on the subject.

Shipping and Representation. I know this will upset people, but I must address it if characters are "ship material," GOOD! I don't care. No one in my 37 years of watching this genre cared or addressed shipping between human characters unless it is purposely part of the story. No one talks about Maki Goro and Naoko being a couple in Godzilla 1985 or Yaguchi and an American Ambassador's daughter in Shin-Godzilla. If there are characters part of the LGBT Community, I am also okay with that. Old-Timers like myself may joke about Godzilla and Mothra being a royal couple, but that is all it was until 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Or even Miki Segusa and Koji from Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla. 

These are not what drive Kaiju movies/series. What drives them are the human characters and how they cope with the existence of such creatures and the underlying contextual messages.

I hope I have not scared any of you away because that is not my intention. Just know I am passionate about the Kaiju genre to succeed. And when I can find Shin-Ultraman to watch, and when Monarch, Gamera Rebirth, Godzilla Zero, and even Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire are out, I will voice my honest opinions on those projects too.

#Skull Island #Kong #monsterverse #Legendary Studios #Godzilla

[daz4i]

okay but you got me thinkiing about akechi was suppose to be the hero/protag

my main reasoning is like joker is our trickster archetype which typically more likely then not take the villain role

(even going back to p4 adachi the jester arcana)

so if joker is our trickster? what does that make akechi🤔? well he IS assoitated with heroes an awfully lot

also

i would say overconfidece is a big akechi moment

ok you just unlocked a topic i am incapable of being normal about so sorry in advance for possible unhingedness (<-has a whole video essay planned about characters who are/think they are/want to be heroes but can’t do it in the story they’re forced to be a part of)

akechi’s prince persona is all about being a hero, robin hood is even designed to look like a common old school superhero, his whole theming being around heroes, whatever the fuck is happening in proof of justice certainly serves to hammer this point home: goro’s rebellion is about being a hero of justice

but that’s what it is, unfortunately - rebellion. he knows the cards he’s been dealt won’t allow him to be one, so at least in a place like the metaverse he’s allowed to live that dream his mother gave him. he has to go against society and its expectations of him in order to do it. (i’d say shido’s work requiring him to use mostly loki is another way for shido to kill remnants of akechi’s mother inside him if you wanna get very metaphorical with it)

but if we go to the meaning of protagonist, then i do firmly believe goro’s a wildcard (i mean that part’s p much confirmed in the game) and my personal hc is he was supposed to have a velvet room but yaldy prevented him from entering it, tho that part’s not backed up by anything just smth i like to think about hehe

there’s even the line in his theme song, no more what ifs, “my story will be starring me just like yours” - he is still, at the end of the day, the hero of his own story, just like his inner, younger rebellion wishes for

i think that while goro wishes to be a hero - or at least, his younger self wished for, i think at this point he knows it’s unrealistic - in a story with him as the protagonist he’d be forced to be an anti hero if anything. there’s no version of his story where the audience will see his actions and say “yeah this is heroic, selfless and just” no matter how they’ll be framed. even on a meta-textual level goro can never get what he wants 😔

but this is why i think we can’t judge him through heroic terms or standards. i also won’t call overconfidence his weakness bc i think his confidence is at least 85% fake and more of a survival thing at this point of his life lol (if he’s not confident in his plan, he virtually has nothing else to live for)

BUT TO GO BACK TO AN EARLIER TOPIC THAT I GOT OFF OF, SORRY ABOUT THAT, i want to see him go through the fool’s journey so bad. he may not be a clear slate but like,, neither are most persona protags honestly (most prominent example imo are the p3 protags). you can also read his emptiness - the sin of his scrapped palace, but also how he’s always putting on masks and there’s not much behind them anymore - as the blank slate of him being the fool. either way i think he deserves to go through this journey, i think it can be really interesting to see too

like. the game really insists that he and joker are the same except that joker has bonds and goro doesn’t, so i really want to know what goro with bonds would be like; would he be more of a classic hero? would he use robin hood more than loki (or throw them both away altogether, if we assume he has a velvet room)? would he be someone else altogether, removing his masks, at least for a bit?

idk. i did start rambling there, so sorry about that hehe. but yes many thoughts head full

#long post #local man incapable of shutting up over goro akechi #sorry this is very incoherent and the paragraphs don't connect in any way whatsoever #dan rambles

[mjthefaeva]

Hey so I’ve been getting into Genshin impact a lot more recently and I’ve got some headcanon that I think might be either Kinda funny or just fun little headcanon cas so here we go! None of these are to dog on your interpretation of the character, so feel free to put your own HC in the comments cause I’d love to see them! Also this will be spoiler free! I’ll just be showing off player characters and trying my best not to use any spoilers as to where I’m at (the beginning of inazuma).

I will say however, spoiler alert for Persona 5 when I get to Tartaglia.

Alright first up we got…

The man, the myth, the legend!!! Kaeya!

One of my favorite characters in the game cause I absolutely love his personality, and not to mention his fighting ability!

Now hear me out here…

Trans femme Kaeya. (This totally isn’t me projecting at all /sarcasm)

The style, the suave, the ability to slice transphobia in half with a sword. Need I say more?

Next up we got probably my favorite character in the game…

Venti!

A lovely lil Bard who’s anemo lift ability has gotten me more Oculi than I’d like to admit. I remember when I was first getting into the game well after Venti’s first banner, I was so sad that I’d probably never get Venti ever, and when his banner came out, I went absolutely feral :))). He was my first Five star I got and I didn’t even need to spend that many wishes to get him!

Now onto Headcanon territory!

In my mind, Venti is the type of person who is like way too young to drink monster energy (I mean look at him, I’m pretty sure he’s supposed to be 15) but he drinks it anyways cause it helps to make his ADHD buzz. So anyone making a college/high school Genshin AU, Please do this for me🥺 /hj.

And onto our final character!

Childe/Tartaglia!

The absolute bicon (this isn’t my headcanon I’m gonna say but I do believe in this HC) of Sneznaya, Childe is probably the character I recognized there most when I first started because he’s the character my friends would talk the most about. Honestly, after meeting him in the story, totally get it.

So onto my final HC.

This is one I’ve heard is a bit of a popular one, but I’ll still say it cause I think it’s absolutely fair. I feel like Tartaglia is very much a Goro Akechi Persona 5 type of character! Their designs are very similar, and their personalities feel nearly identical. This isn’t a dig, because Akechi is actually my favorite Character in P5 so this is very much a compliment! It’s really nice seeing more characters like these two!

And that’s all I got! Hope you liked it!

#genshin impact #genshin headcanons #genshin childe #genshin kaeya #genshin venti #genshin hcs #persona 5 #genshin fandom #transfemme hc #trans girl headcanon

[twinvictim]

for the writing prompts... how about "it's been very rare to have known you, very strange and wonderful" with mmmmm majima + katsuya maybe? :)

“it's been very rare to have known you, very strange and wonderful.” 

His words felt very small, breathed out with a thin cloud of smoke, fading away into particles, rejoining the stars he looked up at, the cold sucking the moisture out of his lips. He turned his eyes downward at the man he was speaking to, trying to speak to. It always felt like trying with Majima. Never firm in the notion one could reach at and touch whatever was in the core of his soul. Majima’s cigarette rested between the long ungloved fingers of his left hand, Katsuya was familiar with the deep scar that ran from the knuckle on his pointer finger to his wrist, not the exact story, just the scar. That was what it was to care for Majima, to know the wounds but not the knife that gifted them to him. 

“You're talkin’ like were both dyin’ here,” Majima commented, sniffing hard a few times before giving up and wiping the blood off his nose. He didn’t look over at his old friend, bloodshot eye staring straight down at the city from their corner of the roof. There were snowflakes in his hair and bruises around his throat. Katsuya no longer found it as alarming, that was his natural state. Beaten down. 

“I don't know about you, but I'm not in the best health currently,” Katsuya replied, unable to turn his gaze away from a man he once was sure he loved, in one way or another. He still found it difficult to breathe after everything. 

“Speak for yourself Ka-chan I feel fuckin’ great,” Majima muttered, the mirth he was well known for was absent here, voice hollow and tired. He spoke again before Katsuya could respond, his expression somber, “Y’know I remember when only me n’ her called ya that. Things change huh?”

“Some things do.” he agreed, “But not everything. I mean what I said.”

“Sure ya do, dunno what the hell it means myself but I know ya wouldn't just say it.” Majima waved his hand, and Katsuya watched him shiver, his jacket and gloves tossed to the other side of the roof in a pile beside Saejima and Dojima, the bigger man seemed to be making sure the chairman wasn't currently bleeding out. Another mystery of Majima’s, his oath brother, not a murderer but long thought to be one, someone else he cared for who he lost, many times, who was here now but for how long only God could guess. To care about Majima was to know that unavoidably, he would lose you somehow, sometimes he would leave on purpose, and other times it was some sort of bad luck that clung to him like a cloud. He personally hated the knowledge that they would be losing one another again. Majima knew it, Katsuya knew it, if she were still here, Park would know it as well. She likely did know the result of their reunion before she died. They both hated themselves for the fact she wasn't here. Majima wasn't always an easy person to read, but it wasn't hard to know him at this moment. 

“It means that you’ve been something in my life I look back on fondly, despite everything. The path you walk is one you chose long before we met, I always knew deep down there would be a crossroads where we could not follow each other. I regret things we have done, I regret things I've done, I hate things you have done on your own, but I don't regret knowing you. It's been a strange adventure Goro, I just hope you remember me at least somewhat fondly yourself.” 

Majima was silent for a long time, blood drying on his lips and in his hair, his eye took on a mournful ache that he remembered seeing sometimes when he looked at Mirei like he was seeing someone else at times. Katsuya wished he could know him, he wished he could help, but it was far, far too late to save Goro Majima from himself. All he could do was give him a gift, one that likely hurt as much as it intended to help. 

“‘Course I do Ka-chan,” He ground his cigarette into the concrete and sighed heavily, staring at the crushed filter in his fingers, “I've known alotta bastards in my time an you're one o’ the ones I always thought kindly of. “ he stood, grunting slightly in pain, turning his back to Katsuya, blood staining the eye of the demon there. He hesitated like he wanted to say more, a lot more, but they both knew there was nothing that needed saying, words just severing to muddle this final goodbye with tangents that would only delay the inevitable. Majima turned his head to say one last thing. 

“Can ya do me one last favor Ka-chan?”

“Of course.”

“Would ya put some nice flowers on her grave for me?” he murmured, and without waiting for an answer, as he didn't need one, he began to walk over to the others on the roof.

#yakuza #ant emails #scribbles #thinking endlessly about. whatever was going on here. insane. #i dont know what ship names are anyways. divorced

[thebonnetblogger]

I have a few thoughts about "Love and Basketball"...

Can I cross you over for your heart?

Have you ever loved a movie so much when you were younger, thought it was simply wonderful and a sheer masterpiece... only to rewatch it again as an adult and realize that it is just BASURA, BABY! Garbage! It stinks!

That is how I felt about the movie, “Love & Basketball” …

… and “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation”, because why in the hell would you kill Johnny Cage two minutes into the sequel?! He defeated Scorpion and Goro, for goodness’ sake! And what is with swapping Sonya and Raidon?! Trash!

Anyways…

For those who are unfamiliar with the 2000 movie, “Love & Basketball” tells the story of Quincy McCall and Monica Wright, two next-door neighbors in Los Angeles, who are pursuing their respective basketball careers before eventually falling for each other. The movie stars Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan and was written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. 

[Sidenote: Spike Lee produced the movie, and I am like… why?]

Back to my thoughts… the movie basically is a young love story that happens to center around the sport of basketball—because hockey is too bloody and football just doesn’t make one’s heart sing like that.

The movie begins with a young tomboy, Monica approaching young boys playing basketball in a neighborhood that her family just moved into. This is where she meets Quincy, a son of an NBA player (who is played by the All State insurance guy and the same man that Savannah’s mom said was a good man… even though he had a WHOLE WIFE). When the boys agree to let her play, she takes off her hat and reveals that she is indeed a girl because apparently, a hat is the ultimate disguise. She was like Clark Kent. 

After revealing that she is a girl, the boys show that misogyny has no age, and they question if she can even play. She proves to them she can. Monica is balling and Quincy cannot handle her sauce. Unfortunately, the little boy’s ego is bruised because he sucks and he pushes Monica, and she gets a cut on her face.

Little Boy! It is not her fault that you suck. You should have had your NBA playing daddy practice more with you, but apparently, he was too busy with other things… that we will discuss later.

After Monica gets cleaned up, Quincy comes over to apologize and asks her to be his girlfriend. What in the Blueface/Chrisean is going on here?! You left me with a permanent scar and now you’re trying to be my boo?! Is it crack?

However, Monica agrees—foolishly, but as you watch the movie further, you see that “foolish” is her middle name. Now, they are boyfriend and girlfriend, and they go to ride bikes. Quincy says that Monica must ride on the back of his bike because he is her boyfriend now, but Monica is a real a** b***h who doesn’t give an “F” about a ninja, and she says that she would rather ride her own bike. Quincy gets mad, breaks up with her, pushes her AGAIN! Someone needs to get this boy some anger management classes! 

They tussle in the grass and then there is a time lapse.

Now, they are in high school and guess what they are doing…. playing basketball.

Monica is playing on the girls’ basketball team, and it is obvious that she really loves the game. She has a passion for it and gives the sport her all. Quincy, on the other hand, though he loves basketball, I feel like he does it more because he admires his father and wants to be like his dad. He loves the notoriety that comes with it all.

Rewatching the movie, this is when I noticed that Monica was more into Quincy than he was into her. 

For example, when Quincy is playing, Monica is there to support him and stays for the entirety of the game. However, when Monica plays, Quincy leaves a few minutes in, leaving after Monica gets benched. It wasn’t like she was going to be on the bench forever, Quincy! You could have stayed, you selfish son of a b---.

If I didn’t mention it before, I shall mention it now… Monica and Quincy live next door to one another. Their bedroom windows are literally facing each other, separated by a gate, I think. When Quincy’s parents are arguing, Quincy climbs out of his bedroom and goes into Monica’s to sleep in peace. 

Being a parent of teenager, BARS ON THE WINDOWS! I don’t care how platonic the relationship is… “Relations” are still in the word, but Quincy doesn’t see Monica “like that” even though the audience can see that she likes him. It really took Monica wearing a dress for the dance for him see her as attractive.

Really? Is that all it took? You saw some ankle and suddenly, your loins get activated and you’re ready to plow?

And plow he did! Because after they leave their dates, he climbs into her bedroom and takes her virginity! Quincy, you dog you.

After doing the nasty, the two lovers and friends embark on their new romantic relationship while going to the same college. And once again… they are both playing basketball (These two are nothing but consistent… and I admire that). It is revealed that Monica is only starting because one of the players got pregnant and apparently, babies and basketball do not mix. 

Anyways… nothing is more sweet than young love, amirite? It just feels so good… until it doesn’t. And it stopped feeling good when Quincy finds out that his parents were divorcing because his father couldn’t keep it in his pants and managed to get one of these harlots pregnant. 

HE IS NOT A GOOD MAN, SAVANNAH!

The news of his parents’ divorce is really taking a toll on Quincy. He and Monica talk about it on campus at night, but Monica remembers that she has a curfew and missing that curfew would get her kicked off the team. Do you think Quincy cares? Hell no! He wants her to stay back and talk with him about how his father is for the streets (he was an NBA player in the late 1970s and early 1980s… are you really surprised?). 

Monica tells Quincy that she will talk to him tomorrow. For some reason, Quincy took that as she doesn’t care about him, she doesn’t love him…, and she wants an open relationship. 

Wait… what?

They are supposed to go out for lunch… or dinner… or whatever time it was to eat, and Quincy invites another girl with them. Oh, hell no! The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because you’re a douchebag just like your sultry-voiced father. Monica gets angry and leaves the dorm room.

Hours later, Quincy is waiting outside of her dorm for Monica. He says all he did was buy that girl Burger King. 

Did you buy her a meal? Did you make it a large?!

He downplays it as nothing even though he was clearly in the wrong to even suggest it, making it seem as though he wouldn’t have did what he did if Monica was there for him.  SIR, WHAT?! She had a curfew! And this is what made me angry. He always wants her to sacrifice for him! He didn’t care about the fact that she be kicked off the team or get in trouble, everything was about him. Is this the type of movies you are funding, Spike?!

Monica goes to leave, and he grabs her to stop her from walking away… ONLY TO BREAK UP WITH HER! Why did you stop her in the first place? You should have just let her leave! I hate him so much!

[Sidenote: Good riddance, Quincy!]

A few years have passed. Quincy is playing for the Lakers in the NBA and Monica is playing overseas in Barcelona. She comes across another country’s women’s basketball team and see one of her teammates from college—the one that made sure to tell her that she was only starting because another player bust I wide open and got pregnant. They are cool now. She asks Monica how the men are in Spain and Monica is like… men? She doesn’t date. Girl, why?! Because of punk-a** Quincy? 

Monica moves back home. Quincy is engaged (to Tyra Banks) and while playing in a game, he injures his knee. He won’t be able to play anymore. Monica goes to visit him in the hospital and one can tell that she still has feelings for him… and it is the dumbest thing to witness. Girl, why?!

Monica is working at a bank and after talking with her mother, Camille (Alfred Woodard)—who always had an issue with her love for basketball—still encouraged her daughter to follow her dreams.

I guess to Monica, that meant going after a man in a relationship, because she went to talk to Quincy literally that same night… a few days before his wedding!

Because basketball is a pivotal thing in their relationship, Monica challenges Quincy to a one-on-one game for nothing other… than his heart. Ugh! If she wins, he calls off his wedding. “I want to play you for your heart”. SAY WHET NAH?! Stand up! STAND UP! Those are some high stakes and the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Girl, you don’t have to do this. There are other men out there!

But Quincy agrees. And all I can think is “Poor Tyra” because he must not love her enough if a simple game of basketball is a deciding factor if he will marry her or not. Pathetic.

They are, and I must say… Quincy is giving Monica that work! He is crossing her over, I think there was some fouling, some breaking of the ankles; he is playing like she is Kobe. And he is WINNING! This man is like “Screw your heart! B***h, I came to win! I am a winner!”.

Quincy wins… but because he doesn’t want to lose her (or you just want someone to be obsessed with you), he chooses to be with her. 

Years later, Monica is playing for the WNBA and Quincy is a stay-at-home dad for their daughter. Cute, right?

WRONG! Quincy didn’t choose her… he settled for her. Though his knee injury was getting better; he wasn’t going to play for the NBA anymore. He didn’t have a backup plan.

And how did that conversation with his fiancée go after that night?

“Hey, baby. I know we were supposed to get married, but I just played a game of basketball with my long-time platonic friend who is also my ex-girlfriend, and I won; therefore, I am going to be with her now. No hard feelings?”

Rage. All I would feel is rage.

I am sorry if this might be some people’s favorite romantic movie, but this is nothing but toxic. Quincy was no prize and displayed a lot of F**k Boy behavior. He was a spoiled jerk who felt like everyone should kiss his butt because he could dribble a ball. Monica always found it hard to move on from him, but he moved freely without a care in the world. This was not love, people! This was some co-dependency BS and I want Monica to know her worth! Where was her mother and father to steer her away from this madness?!

Ladies, do you see everything Monica did? Do the opposite of that!

What are your thoughts?

Sincerely,

B

#film #writing #romance #romcom #love&basketball #sanaa lathan #omar epps #tyra banks #basketball #love #friendshop #movie review #funny #follow #explore #explorepage #trending #blog #blogger

[bmaxwell]

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

I’ve loved turn-based RPG’s for most of my life. I’ve loved Yakuza since 2018. I’ll admit I was a little apprehensive when Ryu ga Gotoku announced that the new Yakuza title would be an RPG. Yakuza’s combat is so fun and fluid and stylish, what will it be like to have turn-based combat out in the city streets? And there’s a new protagonist? I can understand how longtime fans would be turned away; this is a LOT of changes all at once. 

Like a Dragon could have been a major setback for the series, but instead it was a breath of fresh air. I love to see established franchises take risks and get weird with it. After 7 (SEVEN) mainline Yakuza games, all crime dramas starring Kiryu Kazuma and featuring real-time beat ‘em up combat, Yakuza: Like a Dragon would star a new protagonist in Ichiban Kasuga and a turn-based JRPG combat system. 

First of all, I LOVE Kiryu and Majima. They’re some of my favorite characters in video games. Kiryu is as strong as an ox and nearly as smart. He’s stoic and obtuse but has a heart of gold. He is the perfect straight man to play alongside both the melodrama of the main story and the batshittery of the side stories. He’s tired and vaguely annoyed, but he wants to help everyone - even the freaks and weirdos. He’s also an excellent foil for Goro Majima’s manic shenanigans. It’s a formula that worked, and there was no reason to change it up, but I’m glad they did. 

Years ago Persona 3 gave me what I never knew I wanted: a turn-based RPG set in the modern day. With Yakuza LAD, this happened again - this time, a modern day turn-based RPG with actual adults. I’ve never thought about it much, but nearly every RPG I’ve played has protagonists that are teens or young adults. It’s not inherently a bad thing, it’s just been so omnipresent that I became blind to it. 

With Like a Dragon, you have a protagonist and party members with some years behind them, and they have been through Some Shit. It all starts with new protagonist Ichiban, a kid who is rescued by the leader of a smalltime Yakuza boss and swears his allegiance to the family. This ends with him taking the fall for someone in the family and going to prison for 18 years. His loyalty is unwavering, and upon his release from prison he seeks out the boss of the family he serves and is promptly betrayed. 

I won’t spoil the details of the story here, but let it suffice to say that it’s full of the sort of melodramatic, over the top plot twists that the series is known for. It did not disappoint me one bit. Likewise, the side stories are made up of the weird, off-the-wall nonsense I’ve come to expect from the series. It also has the huge variety in minigames fans have come to expect: there’s karaoke, a business management sim, kart racing, and lots more. 

The charisma of Ichiban as the lead in this game cannot be overstated. He’s got Kiryu’s heart of gold, but that stoicism is replaced with hotheaded energy. This makes him a terrific anime protagonist, always rushing headfirst into danger with the best of intentions. The game does have its dark moments, and our happy-go-lucky protagonist does lose his way. The game handles this beautifully. Silly doesn’t have to be the opposite of serious always. And make no mistake, Like a Dragon is silly.

The entire premise feels like something that someone like...well, someone like me would have dreamed up on a late-night bender. Ichiban Kasuga is a huge fan of the Dragon Quest series. He loves that old Japanese RPG series so much that he sees the world in those terms. That’s a good enough reason to have turn-based combat in this game, right? It’s good enough for me. The game also has job classes like Chef, Barmaid, Musician, and uh, Homeless Guy. More about that last one in a moment. You change job classes by visiting the city’s talent agency. You can do RPG-style summons with your cell phone. It’s all the best kind of dumb.

My only real beef with the game is how it treats homelessness, which is inconsistent. Your first party member is a homeless man, and the game goes out of its way to treat the homeless as human beings and not as a punchline, or a scourge, or an embarrassment. Well, the game’s story does that. It does a wonderful job of it. The combat mechanics however, let your homeless guy call down pigeons, or breathe stinky breath onto an enemy, or pull out a hunk of cardboard and fall asleep on the spot. It’s just a weird clash with the rest of the game’s writing. 

It’s a small wart on an otherwise perfect package. The studio took a chance and got the best possible outcome. It reminds me of the old Super Mario RPG from the SNES days. This shouldn’t work, but it fucking does. I came late to the Yakuza series, 2017′s Yakuza 0 was my first brush with the series. Like a Dragon feels like it’s mine in a way the rest of the series doesn’t. The game is fun to play, it’s smart, it’s funny, it’s got drama and - most importantly - it has heart. Where Grand Theft Auto is smug and jaded, Yakuza feels earnest and genuine. Every character has a backstory, and I ended up loving this motley crew of weirdoes and castoffs. I can’t wait to play the next one. 

[notfspurejam]

Kiyoshi Kobayashi talks about his history at TBS radio for the promotion of Jigen’s Gravestone. (2014)

(Sorry if there are any mistakes or sentences are unnatural.)

At the time, he was 81 and said ‘I was born in 1933 and I’m 65 years old now.‘ (the interviewer: ’The figures don't add up!’)

Kiyoshi Kobayashi’s story 1: He had a subscription to Japan Times (a newspaper in English) when he was a Junior High school student who was evacuated to rural regions during World War II.

‘I felt at ease when I read English. I wonder if I’m not Japanese... Just kidding!‘

story 2: He had checked and corrected English for students preparing for an exam when he was only a high school student because he was so good at English.

‘ I was even told “I’d love Mr. Kobayashi to correct my English by all means!”, but I wanted to say “I’m a student too...” ‘

Story 3: He used to work as a translator to earn money not only as an actor.

‘Uemura-san, The president of Tohoku Shinsha (Film distribution company)  introduced me to translate scripts such as Lucille Ball stuff (“I love Lucy"?) and "Superman".’

Story 4: He had to do over from scratch when he made a mistake in the studio.

‘Because we dubbed voices while we were watching the film in those days. Getting close to the end, I was nervous not to blow my lines especially when I was a small role...‘

Story 5: He has called a senior at work Mr. Naya (ex-V.A. Inspector Zenigata) as his first name once.

‘We'd dubbed “Combat” at the studio. There was only one microphone and we were gathering around it like goldfishes! He was already a star when I became an actor. I tried to call him Goro once even though I still call him Naya-san. He didn’t say anything, but I really regretted so much.‘

(the interviewer says: I have watched Naya-san was saying he wanted to take over from Yamada-san and dub Clint Eastwood. )

‘I have dubbed Clint Eastwood a few times. Yamada’s voice sounds like coming out of the nose. It’s a strange way to saying, but my voice is coming out of my throat. so I kept in mind his way. It seemed it was not so bad as I thought.‘

Story 6: About Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone

‘Jigen’s voice is different from my usual voice. What do you think??’ (The interviewer: We can find him in everything you said!) Of course, because I've been acting him! But, usually I’m not like him that much.  (The interviewer: His voice is lower than yours?) Yes, and I’m trying to sound cool... you know?’

‘I attended the premiere of Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone. I’d thought most fans of Lupin and Jigen were male. However I was surprised that there were many female fans. I went ‘I’m still not so bad...!‘ I know they were coming to see Jigen though, not me.

(Question from a listener: How did you feel when the audience let out a cheer?)

‘I was just surprised that many people came to see us and treated me like a pop star... Thank you very much.’

(Question from a listener: What scene were you the most impressed with?)

‘I liked “From Russia with Love” which sort of featuring Jigen. (* He often answers this TVSP, but I think ‘He means “Voyage to Danger?”’ every time.) There were many episodes before forming a gang, such as Goemon or Jigen conflicting with Lupin. After TV series became suitable for children, episodes featuring Jigen or Goemon have gradually decreased.’

(The interviewer: What did you think when you heard about the project of “Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone”?) ‘We did Fujiko-chan’s spinoff, so I thought It would happen, but I didn’t expect it would be about his gravestone... I thought “Have I lost the edge I used to have?!” After thinking about it, I don’t need to work after he’s dead. Which makes me kind of relieved... Well, wait and see...

(Question from a listener: What is the most impressive line of Jigen? 

I was going to say it in the end of the program, but... ‘Hey Lupin, it's about time to blow this joint.‘ This is the one.

#lupin iii #lupin the third #daisuke jigen #lupin the 3rd #kiyoshi kobayashi #Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone #voice actor #interview #mine #my post

[akechi-enjoyer]

I know the Goro spin-off game is almost definitely bullshit but…….

“My story will be starring me just like yours.” 🤔 🤔🤔

#I am so desperate for goro content #I will grasp at any straw #goro akechi #persona 5 #p5

[danidoesathing]

o great dani doesathing tell us about your aus

Hooooo boy

So I've got two ones im currently working on besides Judgement (WHICH I AM WORKING ON I SWEAR). One where Akira and Akechi end up meeting way earlier in while in a test/science faculty (based on the theory that Goro was experimented on) and end up befriending each other. It is also technically an arcana swap but that’s not so much of a story thing rather just an aspect of the characters, with Akira as the Star and Goro as the Tower. I’ve got a few other ideas I might do but I have to actually finish the fic first (and chapter four, I swear to GOD this one will not take four months)

The other one I'm working on is a horror based AU. Where it’s a few years in the future, everything is perfect, the phantom thieves are still going strong and the police have all but given up on catching them, Akira has been living in Tokyo after being cleared of all charges from Shido’s change of heart. Everything seems to be going pretty well for Akira! Even still....something feels off. His dreams are getting stranger, some of his thoughts aren’t making any sense and something, or someone, feels missing. He’s sure the answer is at the bottom of the mementos, which has long evaded the PT’s grasp with dangerous shadows and a confusing maze. But Akira is determined to find out what there, even if he really should heed the warnings. That’s all I'm gonna say for now cause I've been working on the fic on the side for months now and by god im not gonna spoil the 12k words ive got written so far

I’ve got a fluffy fantasy AU where Akira is an outcast of his village due to his magical abilities, and lives in a small cottage near a cave, which he leaves some food in front of for the bear or wildlife he assume lives down there. It’s not a bad life, if a bit lonely. But of course the reason no one ever goes near the cave is because it, along with the land to the river, is the territory of a temperamental naga unbeknownst to the witch living in the house built of his property without his permission. But he decides to simply observe the new human after finding the “offerings” in front of his home, because Goro might forgive this transgression if he keeps it up. Not because Akira is cute and sweet and ended up making his land look nice. Not at all because Akira’s smile makes his heart do backflips and Goro has developed a crush. Nope. Totally just for the food.

I also have a realistic fantasy AU where Akira and Goro are shapeshifting half-demon boyfriends that steal shit and murder shitty people for the fun of it. I don’t really have a plot outside of that except Goro kills someone in a bloody way, Akira wears scandalous clothes and steals some rich asshole’s shit, and they make out. I mostly have vague aesthetics and some slutty slutty wordlbuilding.

There’s more like a Royal Trio version of the PT or the childhood friend au or the one where Akira dies in the interrogation room and Yaldabaoth does some fucked up shit but my brain has given up on me <3

#ask #asks #dani speaks #lots of thoughts head full #please ask about these at any time #I have lots of fic ideas but not enough time #I HAVE TO FINISH JUDGEMENT I REFUSE TO DELAY IT ANY LONGER #persona 5