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goldengoddess · 3 years

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soooo the idea is a fic set during king of scars where the reader is nikolai's childhood best first and we stumble into his room one evening and we actually see him change into the demon and just absjajnsns

i am yours - nikolai lantsov

* KING OF SCARS & RULE OF WOLVES SPOILERS *

pairing: nikolai lantsov x reader

a/n: okay this is absolutely garbage rae i am so sorry pls forgive me,,, i KNOW this is not how nikolai’s demon works and he wouldn’t just like turn back but for the sake of this fic pls pretend <33333

for the lovley @wtfrae !!! i love u pls go read her work everyone <3

warnings: spoilers! some angst n like threat of violence but y’all know me, everything is good and happy by the end

nikolai had always been the one person you could turn to. since the two of you were kids, it had always been an unbreakable bond. something no one else seemed to understand. how to kids, tossed aside by their family, tested in every way possible, were able to find each other and bring out the best in one another. nikolai made you better, made you good.

life in ravka was never easy, it was a constant struggle. especially in the years leading up to nikolai’s reign. the two of you almost hadn’t made it out alive then, and while nikolai had been out fighting with alina in the fold, you had stayed at the spinning wheel helping the injured.

but when things finally settled down, alina and mal safe and away, nikolai had told you so many stories. the two of you had spent months apart. so out of nostalgia, every night you’d sneak into nikolai’s room and listen to your best friend tell you stories about everything. all the battles he’d fought along as sturmhond, what the battle against the darkling had looked like.

and even when nikolai ran out of stories, and you ran out of questions, you kept sneaking into his room to talk to him. he was the king of ravka, during the day he never even stopped to take a breath. but his nights were reserved for you. just so he could hear the sound of your voice before he was bound to his bed by chains.

nikolai loved you dearly, you were the only constant he had ever known. but he couldn’t bring himself to share what had happened to him during the battle with the darkling, what he’d become. instead, he told you the stories he told everyone else, how he was captured and tortured. it hurt him, to lie to you. but he couldn’t have you seeing him the way he saw himself, a monster. so even though lying to you pained him every night, he would do it to hear your excited questions and giggles as you snuck out of his room.

he always made sure you were gone before zoya came in. he wouldn’t be able to explain the drugging potion. or even worse, his horrible transformation into the demon that lived inside of him.

but secrets almost never stay secrets.

“saints nikolai,” you gasped, rushing off his bed to grab grab your coat, “it’s past midnight. i can’t be in here!”

nikolai sat up and looked out his window, you watched the color drain from his face. he cleared his throat and walked over to you, “you’re right you should probably go.”

you nodded and shuffled away from him, but before opening the door you paused. you turned back to the blonde haired boy, “nikolai?”

“yes sweetheart?” he answered, facing you.

“i could,” you hesitated, “i could sleep over. one night, i’m not saying tonight. just some night. i’ll sleep on the floor but, i spend all of my night here anyways. just like when we were kids.”

as nikolai slowly walked closer to you, you waited for his teasing remark and eventual acceptance. the two of you w had a sleepover since before he left ravka. of course it wouldn’t be the same, as he was now king, but he was your nikolai.

instead, he gently tucked a piece of your hair and kissed your forehead. “i don’t think that’s such a good idea sweetheart.”

your heart shattered at his words and his at the fact that he had to say them. there was nothing he wanted more. nothing that would bring him more peace than holding you in his arms until the sunrise. not just for a couple of hours right before bed, not having to pretend that everything he felt for you was strictly platonic.

“oh” you said defeatedly. “that, yeah that’s okay. i’ll see you tomorrow nikolai.” and with that you rushed out of the room.

later, as zoya gave nikolai genya and david’s potion to knock him out, all he could think about was the horrible look on your face.

at some point in the night you’d made the decision to go talk to nikolai. the two of you couldn’t go on like this, attempting to be way you have been before the darkling and alina while tip toeing around these new feelings you had for eachother.

but as you made your way to nikolai’s doors, hand on the doorknob, you heard a soft growl coming from inside. you covered your mouth with your hand to prevent a gasp from escaping your lips. you slowly turned the handle and stepped into the room.

on nikolai’s kingly bed was a dark giant looking demon. it’s wings were the color of the night sky seen in the window of the bed room. it took your breath away.

you pressed your back against the wall, trying to move back towards the door without making any noise. but the demon heard you and snapped it’s head in your direction.

every part of your body was screaming to run, to scream even. but something stopped you. the eyes. they stopped you. they were dark and pitch black but there was something familiar about them. not the color but the way they watched you. like they were trying to remember every single part of you just in case.

nikolai was the only person who you knew looked at you that way.

“nikolai?” you whispered to the monster.

the creature craned its neck to the side, similar to the confused head tilts that nikolai used to give you during lessons. you took a hesitant step forward, holding your hands up to show that you weren’t going to cause harm.

“nikolai” you tried again, with more conviction in your voice.

the creature let out a small growl as a response and you flinched away. at your movement it out a whine and moved away from you.

you shuffled closer, “hey no no i’m okay. nikolai?”

slowly, as you repeated your best friends name over and over, the creature became less beast and more man. slowly morphing into a messy set of blonde curls and body you’d hugged more times than you can recall. your nikolai.

he curled up in a ball and leaned his back against the end of his bed.

“nikolai” you attempted softly, falling to your knees in front of him.

he scrambled away to a corner of the room, “please. please leave. i’m begging.” his voice was raspy from misuse, thought the two of you had spoken only hours before.

“nikolai i’m not leaving, please explain to me. what was that?” you pleaded with him.

“that was nothing, now go. please please” he sobbed into his hands.

you crossed your arms over your chest in a stubborn gesture that he couldn’t even see, “you’re lying to me again! i’m not leaving until you explain what that was. why can’t you tell me the truth for once?”

“that was me!” he yelled as he lifted his head and met your eyes for the first time.

you let out a sigh of relief at the familiar hazel color of his eyes. you crossed your legs together, “that was you?”

“yes that was me. that is what the darkling did to me. now please,” he let out an exhausted sob “please leave sweetheart.”

you felt tears swelling in your own eyes at his voice. how broken he sounded. your nikolai never sounded so defeated. and if he ever felt that way, he had never shown you. you crawled over to him slowly and placed your hands on the sides of his face, rubbing away the tears.

“what are you doing” he whimpered and dropped his head into your hands, “i could hurt you. sweetheart, you have to go.”

“my nikolai” you whispered, pushing his damp hair away from his forehead.

he closed his eyes and you couldn’t tell if it was from anger, exhaustion, sadness, or a mix of all of it. “i cannot be yours. i’ve lied to you, i’m a demon, a monster. you can’t possibly want me to be yours.” he spit each word about himself as if it were venom, like the words ripped away a little bit of his humanity, or his confidence.

you shook your head and softly placed your forehead again his, still holding the sides of his face. “no. you’re my nikolai. you always will be.”

you placed two soft kisses on his cheeks, one on each side. “my” kiss, “nikolai,” another kiss.

“oh sweetheart, i am yours” he sighed and opened up his knees so you could fall into his embrace. “i am so sorry.”

“you should be” you mumbled into his chest. “what if you had died nikolai? and i wouldn’t have known what was happening to you until it was too late. i could have helped.”

he kissed the top of your head, still hesitantly. “im a fool, you can spend the rest of my life reminding me. i didn’t want to ruin this, us. it’s the last precious thing i have in my life.”

“we are still precious” you whispered and clung to his shirt like your life depended on it. “the same way you are still the nikolai i have always known, since childhood. you are still good. we will fix this.”

“and if we can’t?” he asked so softly that you almost couldn’t hear him.

“then i’ll have to get just as familiar with the demon as i am with you” you joked.

and the rumble of nikolai’s laughing chest told you that everything would be perfectly fine. demon and all, he was still your nikolai.

taglist;

@deardiarystuff @bookishcrows @kazsimp @vintagebitc @obiwansjedi @thegirlwiththeimpala @hybrid-in-progress @mrs-brekker15 @mrsbrekkers @simplyluvzuko @ode-to-joy @gallysonegoodlung @sixofshadowandbone @castielcouldbeasecretdentist @meiitanoia @caaarstairs @itisroe

if your name is in bold, it means i couldn’t tag you <3

#nikolai lanstov #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai x reader #nikolai duology #shadow and bone #six of crows #grishaverse #kaz brekker #six of crows imagine #shadow and bone imagine #leigh bardugo #rae <3

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redcloak · 2 years

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ok so. all of these are in different assorted states of progress but i gotta share it to keep myself in track!! ever since i finished tgaa 1 and 2 ryunosuke and sherlock have not left my fucking brain

im putting the spoiler-y blabbing and MORE tender sketches for them under the cut

first of all.... what an amazing story the tgaa duology is! everything about it is such an improvement on an already phenomenal series, and as someone who was raised in asia and had to navigate the rest of their lives under the scrutiny of a very alienating western culture in different flavours, it hit home in so many ways - and this is without even delving into the topics of companionship, being in the closet, etc. made all much more difficult due to the loss of lgbt+ rights brought upon by colonialist ideologies

it is very easy to look at ryu and to see how so much of his narrative is tied to grappling with his own feelings for people who end up becoming the world to him - especially those who are the same gender as him

when kazuma was first introduced i was absolutely lost for him. the parallels with mia abounded but he felt more intimately connected to ryu than mia ever did to phoenix, and the way he was raised to be this untouchable, perfect, right in every way figure was so well done and beautifully built - especially when your only means of knowing kazuma is through ryus perspective

his death saddened me greatly and for the longest part (especially when there was no weird spirit medium like mechanic to get him to haunt the sword and talk to you after dfksghdfsfg) i did believe that was going to be it, and was looking forward to seeing ryu navigating this huge amount of grief he carried. but once it was revealed kazuma was still alive, and just how the story completely turned his character on his head.... it floored me in the best way possible

to me, the dismantling of the idol kazuma had turned into in ryus mind and heart, especially after his death, is one of the best parts of the whole story, and not enough focus is given to it. and for one, i am looking forward to seeing what their actual friendship, shed off all the lies and manipulation that defined it, may bloom into, now that they are finally leveled and more balanced and ryu has enough standing on his own to need to live in kazumas shadow

but that brings me to the actual best part, to me, of the whole game - the establishment of 221b as of the end of tgaa1 as ryus real and core family

i truly do not understand why ryunosuke and sherlock are not a waaaaaay more popular pairing. from the very first moment, sherlock has looked at this man and given him every tool and motivation to develop the deductive skills he’d use to unravel every single most unseemly mystery in the world, out of his own drive, curiosity, passion and volition, on his own terms. he immediately recognized his integrity, how despite being anxious and insecure he held endless potential, entrusted him with his own home, caring for his own daughter, and immediately took to have him join, as equals, on his own trade and dance, after a decade of that role being vacant. in turn, while ryu truly thinks sherlock insane and insufferable at first, he immediately surrenders to how intuitive and fun it is to dance around with the detective, and not only does he begin to get the method to the madness, he begins to truly care about him deeply - his safety, the dedication to his work, the appreciation for the amount of tools he creates that are useful even if mocked in court, the way he risks his safety for others, the heart of gold he has that supports their whole little family. their dynamic, the way they playful bicker and tease and bother one another is legit one of the most wholesome things ive had the delight to witness in a video game, and all the hours of gameplay feel like a love letter to their growing domesticity even amongst the chaos and typical ace attorney silliness. the way their dances become goofier while pulling further at this banter, the way they embrace each other into their own jobs and turmoils, the way sherlock, despite being so silly and apparently dumb, does all this background work in the shadows, risking life and limb all the time, because he knows itll give them all the necessary bits he wholeheartedly trusts ryu to use in court to unravel all manner of hurts that had been hurting them for years, to wrangle them all to shining light

sherlock tells him to never let go of the truth no matter what or who stands in the way, and at this point ryu has grown enough into himself that he does not need to be told that, and he’ll bite and claw away until the bitter end, just for this shared goal of truth and catharsis, and to validate all the work and thankless sacrifice sherlock has had to deal with his whole career - for one reason or another, nobody else in sherlock’s life was ever able to put so much at risk, gunning for the astounding accusations ryu makes out in the open that couldve ended so poorly, as ryu does

even when susato and ryu realize that sherlock had lied to them about kazumas death, even when they knew he was still hiding so much from them in that regard, their trust still did not falter because they knew there had to be a good reason for it, they trusted that the truth would come out soon - that theyd soon have all the pieces to bring it all to light without anyone ever again being at risk

at the start of the game, kazuma had known ryunosuke for less than one year, and the majority of their friendship had been unbalanced admiration from a guy at his idol, who in turn, despite genuinely caring for ryu, also fed him this wholly dishonest image of himself that culminated in him getting him to stowaway on an assassination mission ryu had absolutely no clue of

on the other hand, ryu has known sherlock for almost a year now, has lived with the man knowing all his quirks and sillinesses, all his delights and good things and how well they work together, and while sherlock is a fuckigng well of secrets too, especially in all that relates to his work and iris’s safety, the gameplay shows you how theyve come to genuinely rely on each other, trust each other, mix their real lives together, learn each other for mutual benefit. and to me... that kind of connection and organic, genuine, fun chemistry and dynamic makes everything else pale in comparison, from kazuma to mikotoba, and all the others in between

they are just. fun and silly and sweet, with a lot more depth that it first seems. theyre so well balanced, absolutely equal and leveled, the great ace attorney to the great detective. and i sincerely hope game 3 shows even more of this, now that the past is past and theyre both grown into their roles fully!!!

anyway this has gotten huge. more doodles! will upload them separately as i finish

#hamsart #tgaa #dgs #ace attorney #the great ace attorney #dai gyatuken saiban #ryunosuke naruhodo #sherlock holmes #herlock sholmes #dgs sherlock holmes #ryulock #ryuulock #homuryuu #desperately wants to see these tags full of content #iris wilson #iris watson

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azucanela · 4 years

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being sokka’s s/o would include hcs?

BEING SOKKA’S S/O HEADCANNONS [GENDER NEUTRAL!READER]

being zuko’s s/o headcannons | being korra’s s/o headcannons

SUMMARY: being sokka’s s/o from the confession to the marriage

WORD COUNT: 2.3k

WARNINGS: mild lok spoiler, fluff, kissing, do these count as warnings, yeah this is pretty pg man, blood, stab wound, sokka being sokka

A/N: im sick and dying h e l p, but also interact with me im lonely, become and elusive anon idc <3 also wow i have 500 followers??? idk why you all followed me?? but thanks?? hi??

getting into the relationship

oh god

i see him with a friends to lovers thing where he either flirts with you from the moment he meets you or progressively begins to fall for you and is far to flustered to flirt because woah there why are you so beautiful

if its the former, then he’s probably gonna be ‘joking’ for the most part and you know this, so you two are just playfully flirting all the time until one day he realizes that he wants this to be REAL and panics

when you flirt the first time he’s flustered, because he’s really just not used to the same level of forwardness that he has himself, but after a while Sokka is gonna get used to it and he’ll just roll with it

but when he realizes he wants more? he’s gonna be flustered all over again, and he’s probably gonna flirt with you signifigantly less, which is gonna cause you to confront him, much to his dismay, because oh no he’s alone with you-

“oh! haha.. hey y/n. yeah i need to go sharpen my boomerang-”

“sokka that’s not something you can do.”

when you confront him, he’s probably gonna be honest with you and tell you how he feels because he really cares for you and just wants you to calm down because no he does n o t hate you

“do you hate me or something now?”

“uh.. it’s the opposite actually you see-”

if its the latter, he’s gonna go from really calm and chill around you, because of the friendly vibes and such like cracking jokes and such, to a complete and utter mess

you two are really close as friends and that isn’t something he wants to mess up but he’s definitely gonna confess at some point because he’s not one to bottle his emotions up and hates how weird things are between the two of you now that he’s realized he likes you

in general i see sokka as a mess around whoever he likes, until he comes to terms with the fact that he likes them, and this likely won’t take long, he’s pretty in tune with his emotions

he’s not gonna wanna ask you out at first, in all honesty, i see sokka’s whole confidence thing as a facade, because in actuality he has really low self esteem and genuinely sees himself as the “extra” member of team avatar because he lacks bending and everyone around him is so talented that he sometimes forgets he is literally super smart and makes all the plans that save their lives on the daily

just things you are too good for him, especially if you are a bender

if you start hinting that you like him too, he is initially gonna think it is a joke until you start getting bold and then it’s gonna hit him like everyone hits the cabbage man’s cart

i can see either of you confessing first, if Sokka does, he’s probably gonna be really bashful and flustered about it, but he’s also gonna try and act cool because thats like his trademark

if you confess first, he’s gonna be in shock temporarily, but then he’s gonna jump right into things because you like him BACK omgomgomgomg

he’s gonna wanna kiss you right after the confession, and it’ll probably backfire because he got really excited and ended up headbutting you and now you have a bruise forming on your head and a very apologetic sokka oops

in general, quickly recognizes his feelings and confesses shortly after, because he just hates the weird tension even if he thinks he’s the only one feeling it, even though hes NOT

during the relationship

a really attentive boyfriend, you will never feel neglected, he’s a very clingy person who gets intimate with you all the time, so if you like affection you got it

kissing him is nice, he’s good at it 10/10 recommend, always wants to hold you as close as possible, prefers a hand on your hip/lowerback and another on your face or neck to pull you closer

if you don’t like affection, he’ll express his love in other ways

for example, cooking, i see sokka as someone who can either cook REALLY well, or not at all. there is no in between.

genuinely just really wants to make you happy

the type to bully you if you’re in a relationship, pls bully him back, humble this man. he’s gonna roast you but he doesn’t really mean it okay, he’s just doesn’t want things to change between you

loves that his best friend is his lover, would not want it any other way

probably forgets to tell the gaang you are dating and like aang and toph are gonna catch you two kissing or smth and sokka’s just gonna be like oh hey guys and they are both like ???

"when did this happen?”

“wym lol”

if you two are together during the war, he’s gonna wanna be by your side like 24/7 because he does not want you to die, like this lowkey stresses him so much that he will subconsciously, when developing battle plans either put you in the safest possible spot or by his side, and its because he has literally lost so many people he’s care for and now he’s distressed

remind him that he matters and is important to the team, because he forget that sometimes and falls into a mood, where he’s all sad and stuff and it just makes you sad so like

tell him he matters, because he does, tell him he’s great even if he can’t bend, and tell him he is a fantastic and brilliant leader, this will serve as an ego boost though so be prepared to humble him

steal his hair ties and do all of us a favor okay, just steal them, burn them because no littering, just make sure he cannot find them! he will walk around with his hair down in confusion, searching for them before he starts the day

speaking of starting the day, you always wake up first, this man is not a morning person and needs his beauty sleep, definitely have a 17 step skin care routine, change my mind, he is big on self care and will make sure you participate with him because he cares about you

speaking of care he knows you so well since you are his s/o so if he notices something is up he will not hesitate to confront you, and will ask if you want solutions or just someone to listen to

prefers solving the problem though

back to mornings, um have fun waking up to sokka with his hair down that sounds HEAVENLY um

mild lok spoilers but sokka ends up chief, and gets involved in politics over time, so he kinda runs out of time for you a bit until he figures out how to organize his time better, then he gets kinda sad, but he still wants to take you out on dates as often as possible ok no more spoilers

so speaking of dates, sokka wants weekly dates, this is a must, does not care if it is a fancy restaurant, cooking at home, or a picnic. he loves picnics most though, and please notice how food is the common factor here

sokka would never cheat on you but if he did he would cheat with food

arguments aren’t rare, but they are mostly over dumb stuff and you both know its dumb stuff so for the most part its a joke, but sometimes someone takes things too far so then apologies are necessary

like actual argument arguments are mostly rare because sokka doesn’t wanna pick fights with you and he’s fairly passive unless he feels really strongly about something

he can be REALLY MEAN THOUGH AND PETTY like wow sokka will go days without talking to you because of a fight

he can and will apologize first when he realizes the toll its taking on your relationship, probably will apologize first

if you catch him being a misogynist put him in his place :)

he thinks you are hot when you are angry and might pick a fight with you just for that reason, pls make out with him

marriage n’ stuff

im still waiting for someone to explain what weddings are like guys please

anyways he’s gonna realize he wants to marry you when he nearly dies and is like wow life is really short also lets discuss him losing all the important people he’s loved in his life one more time, he does not want to lose you!!!

ever!!!

so he’s gonna nearly die and then be like i need to propose, like now, i cannot die without being married to the literal love of my life so i should do that literally the moment i get home instead of getting medical attention first

yeah he is the smart one, but he lacks common sense, so i hope you got a LOT of common sense. y’all do be sharing a braincell

stops by a ring shop place, and the moment he just feels like he saw the one, price does NOT matter he has purchased it and is now heading home to you

you on the other hand are PANICKING because what do you mean sokka just ran out of the hospital with no explanation and is nowhere to be found katara

what do you mean you thought he would be h e r e

yes katara went over to your house to see if sokka was there and he is not!!!

yet ;)

there is like a manhunt for sokka and he has yet to notice because mans has tunnel vision and as he opens the door to your shared apartment he does not expect to see a crying katara and oh no-

“SOKKA! YOU’RE NOT DEAD?!”

hes like of course im not dead what the hell

you’re seated standing next to Katara trying to console her when you see sokka and wow you are relieved to see he is not dead or kidnapped

“SOKKA DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW WORRIED I WAS-”

lol he’s kissing you to shut you up how cute, now leave katara you are infringing on an extremely pivotal moment of this relationship

honestly seeing you comforting his sister just makes him love you more and he kinda just wants to marry you 10x more now

you pull away from the kiss looking at him like what are you doing, and katara is like, “Sokka where the hell were you??? you have a stab wound???” and now you’re like WOAHWOAHWOAHWOAHWOAH

“stabbed? sokka you need medical attention-”

“to answer your question dear sister, i was getting a ring for your hopefully soon to be sister in law.”

“EXCUSE ME?” you are so confused, katara is confused and is now realizing that she was probably not supposed to be here

sokka is already dropping down onto one knee and pulling out the just bought ring as saying, “marry me!” now he’s high on adrenaline and pain has yet to hit him and he’s kinda just sitting there beaming up at you despite the blood seeping out of him at a rapid rate

“im sorry what?” thats katara girl be quiet they are trying to have a MOMENT

anyways you’re like, “sokka. hospital.”

and he’s like, “answer me first” and he’s giving you a weak lil smile as he realizes how stupid he was and he’s about to stand back up but you put a hand on his shoulder and just nod.

now he’s back to beaming so brightly, and he’s putting the ring on your finger and oh no- he’s passed out. is it from excitement or bloodloss? idk

he also might pass out before hearing you answer and then at the hospital you’re kinda sitting there like, “ARE YOU DUMB STUPID OR DUMB. YOU COULD HAVE DIED.”

and he’s like, “not without hearing your answer” <3<3 heart eyes emojis everywhere

alternatively, he is one of few people i could see having a public proposal, with lots of flowers, a band, fireworks, the whole nine yards

he’s gonna want it flashy

something probably goes wrong and he nearly cries but you say yes anyways and he throws a party after

anyways the actual wedding is preferably public, but if you want a more private one then he does what you want because he loves you most

he is gonna be very active in wedding planning, wants to try the foods and desserts and appetizers and everything especially. wants to do the weird stuff like picking napkins with you and flower arrangements and all that stuff i think this happens idk someone please inform me

this stuff just makes him fall in love with you more tbh, and he’s just so so sure he wants to marry you

his vows will make HIM cry, like he is going to cry when he sees you walk down the aisle, he’s going to cry when he reads his own vows, and he’s going to cry when you read your vows, it doesn’t matter if they are lowkey bad

makes jokes in his vows because he is a nerd but can barely reach the punchline because he is in tears

fr though he is just so happy to be marrying you and wow you look REALLY GOOD in whatever you are wearing um damn okay you really went off

married life with sokka is elite ngl, mans cooks for you, he probably cleans sometimes, but otherwise chores are fairly divided

he spoils you

overall sokka is a real great s/o and he gives you everything you deserve and yeah marry sokka 2020 everyone deserves a sokka

taglists[lmk if you wanna be added or removed via askbox or replies]

atla: @bubblebars @jada-cleo @Art-flirt @the-deli-meat @wemissyou3000 @ajediherowitchrunner

sokka: @iammello

#sokka x reader #sokka x y/n #sokka x you #sokka #sokka atla x reader #atla sokka x reader #atla x reader #avatar the last airbender #lok #legend of korra

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ledamemangociana · 3 years

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RANKING HAISUTE (or the ones i’ve seen so far)

not that anyone has asked me, but i’ve literally been so hyperfixated on these shows for MONTHS and although i’ve gotten my bestie into them now, it’s not like i can bombard them with all these deep-ish dives into these things and how much and why i love them, so i thought HEY why not just put it out into the ether coz DAMN i really wanna talk about them.

under the cut for length (HELLA LENGTH) and spoilers.

let me preface this first by saying i havent seen ALL the shows yet. i havent ever watched the first run of Itadaki No Keshiki, and i havent seen any of the new Karasuno cast shows yet, as by the time i had gotten hooked on these shows, the time to watch Strongest Challengers and Battle At The Garbage Dump on DMM.com had passed, and with my limited budget (i havent been able to work properly since literally mid-July last year), it’ll be a while before i can afford their twin pack DVD when it comes out next month. ALTHOUGH i am hoping to be able to download Fly High on DMM.com before the availability runs out in the middle of March, if i’ll actually have enough money for that.

additionally, i rank these from my least favorite to most favorite, but that does not mean that i hate or dislike any of them. in fact, i have little to zero negative things to say about any of these shows. i just happen to love some more than the others, and i think you’ll be able to tell by how long i go on about each show. i’ll TRY to keep things concise but im telling you now, i’ve already tried this once until an accidental button press erased everything i had written, and this will not be short. at all.

i’ll start first with the things i love about Haisute in general:

quite obviously, the projections. before i finally saw Haisute this year, i had only ever seen BNHA, KNY and Kuroshitsuji musicals, and while they have awesome set pieces, i had never seen video projections utilized the way Haisute does, and i think it’s so wonderful and creative, and so technically sound on everyone’s part. like, it has to be so precise with cast performance and blocking and sound and lights...like. dudes. shout-out to the tech staff of Haisute, y’all are amazing.

the acting performances in general. i dont think there’s a bad actor at all in any of these. some stiff-ish performances (Noah Ishikura as Lev, but mostly in SoE, which was his first time acting ever, so understandable), maybe, but even those actors do great when they’re having a pivotal moment, scene or dialogue. it’s hard to pick faves but somehow i do have them, lol - Kenta Suga as Hinata (obviously), Kentaro as Daichi, Hiroki Ino as Suga, Kousuke Asuma as Oikawa, literally ALL THREE BOKUTOS, literally BOTH AKAASHIS, Ami Saito as Yachi, Tatsunari Kimura as Kageyama, and my top two faves, Shori Kondo and Takato Nagata as KuroKen. for obvious reasons (see: my numerous gifsets that i still have so much to add to alkdjf).

the music is WONDERFUL. the varieties across shows, teams and characters while still maintaining the main themes are just so good. it’s easier for them to be highlighted to since there isnt any singing, and so many moments are told through the music rather than the music accompanying the moment imo.

the choreography is gold af. im sad we lose HIDALI after Tokyo Battle, but im sure the rest of the shows still keep that amazing spark. but i juST. HIDALI’s choreography is iconic. i’ll talk abt it a bit more in some of the entries in the list.

OKAY, now on to the rankings.

7. View from the Top (2nd Run) so again, I DONT HATE ANY OF THESE SHOWS. the reason this is at the bottom of my list is mostly because of what it doesnt have through no fault of its own, rather than anything that it does. i personally love watching character growth and evolution, so for the most part, the first story in anything that has multiple follow-ups tend to be my least favorite part, and i come to enjoy them more as a “look how far we’ve come” thing. that being said, i do think this was such an awesome show to kick-off what has become an iconic 2.5D franchise. so much of it feels like the transition from potential to kinetic energy. a little show that could, and then did. i do think i enjoy this more with a nostalgic sort of fondness than i do with a “look how cool this thing is!” feeling, but again, that’s coz i enjoy watching things changing rather than at the start. what definitely stands out to me here is that i came to it this as only my fourth 2.5D franchise, and the ones i’d watched before this were so different in staging and execution, and that really had me hooked. also, this franchise honestly is one of the best casting in any show i’ve ever seen in my life, like wtf, i havent seen a badly cast actor at all, even for the side characters i dont really pay that much attention to otherwise. you cant help but be sucked into the bright light that is Kenta Suga, and Kousuke Asuma has to be the most Oikawa Oikawa to ever Oikawa anything Oikawa. Tatsunari, Ryotaro and Justin absolutely jumped right out of the manga and anime and onto the stage as Kags, Tsukki and Asahi. and GAWD do i love me some Kentaro and Hiroki as DaiSuga. i went in a big fan and simp of Hiroki Ino and Sugawara, so for the first couple of watches, i was heavily focused on Ino!Suga, but by the third rewatch, Ken-chan came around a corner and smacked me in the face with a 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire. when that man smiles, i just get murdered.

6. Start of the Giant i honestly had a hard time picking between this and InK for the bottom spot, not because i hate this (AGAIN, I DONT HATE ANY OF THESE SHOWS), but because of how this show feels to me. ultimately, i picked this one to win over InK because of how much character progression is shown between these two shows. stating the obvious, KAZUMA KAWAHARA. HOO BOY. and big, BIG shout-outs to Kouhei Shiota for portraying Tanaka’s emotional roller-coaster so excellently to stride alongside Ennoshita’s big journey and Kazuma’s powerhouse performance. i also wanna spotlight how much more comfortable Tatsuya Kageyama was in his second go-around as Kags, and how well Keita Tanaka and Naoki Tanaka came in as new(old)!Daichi and new!Suga. it took me a while to get to this show because i was so sad to lose Ken-chan and Hiroki after SoE, and i thought i just would not be able to love DaiSuga the same way. turns out that that’s a good thing, because they do play similar but different DaiSugas to Kentaro and Hiroki. it possibly also helped to know that KT wasn’t entirely new, and to have known of Naoki from BNHA (with Hiroki!), although i hadnt known it was him until i started the show up at last, lol. Kentaro got to play a captain who was warm and very much one of the boys, someone who was growing into the role of a captain of a team that had a very real chance of going farther than it had in a while, while KT got to play a Daichi who, fittingly, was more established as a pillar of the group (and im sure the storytelling of this show helped with that), more of that Dadchi that we know and love. Hiroki got to play a gentle but mischeivous Suga who was all about watching over and taking care of the team, watching and waiting for his turn while understanding that Kags was their best chance, while Naoki got to play a more active, more athletic Suga who was becoming more active the closer the team got to Nationals. their performances stood out not just coz they were new, but because of the theme of this story in particular, about captains and leading, so i thought it was quite a nice way to welcome them into the fold. i also of course enjoyed Johzenji and Wakunan, maybe Johzenji more than Wakunan. i saw someone say they’re a bit like Fukurodani and Nekoma lite, and i can totally see and agree with that. this show also feels a bit like Revival lite, in that it’s got a fun first half and then a more action-packed second match with an emotional gutpunch at the end. but ultimately, this is lower on my list because, through no major fault of its own, it felt like a filler show, considering what was coming after this. it felt a bit like “lets’ get on with this story so we can get on to the last hurrah that everyone is looking forward to.” of all the side teams to have been portrayed in the Engeki story, i feel like i remember johzenji and wakunan less. again, that’s not really anyone’s fault, it’s just where this show was positioned in the timeline and what it was ultimately representing. as a parting thought tho, i just wanna shout-out the new lighting scheme they did for this show, especially coming from SoE where there was a lot of darkness or back-lighting. this show is brighter lit in general than most of the shows that came before it, and idky exactly but i do appreciate that a lot.

5. Winners And Losers objectively, this is probably one of the top 3 shows in all of Haisute’s history. but it’s lower on my list because it is the most taxing to watch and rewatch, not because it’s too slow or anything like that, but because it really just is such a tiring story, and i think that’s deliberate on the part of the writers and directors. this was Karasuno’s first major loss, and it was against an opponent they thought they knew, so of course the lead-up had to be a big deal. it’s also a story that revolves quite a bit around kageyama reaching a turning point and learning a few lessons that would ultimately change him, so the story had to also execute that change happening not just in Kageyama but around him. add to that the fact that this was Tatsunari’s goodbye performance (as well as Shohei’s as Noya, but then he doesn’t really get a big emotional moment here) and it’s just heavy on the emotions all around. the comedic distraction of ShoriTaka as Tetsuko and Kenko was honestly quite welcome, lmao. quick little shout-out to Kousuke Asuma and Allen Kohatsu as IwaOi, since they got to really show off the different sides to both those characters in this, and they just are stellar in general. that bit at the end of one of their flashbacks where Iwa-chan tells Oikawa that he’s not the only one fighting, there’s six people in that team, and Oikawa breaks into laughter as Kousuke strips off the flashback jacket, and Iwa’s like “uuuhhh did i hit you too hard, or?” UGH, i love that bit, that almost creepy laugh from Kousuke and the way he comes out of it to say “suddenly im not so upset” is just SO good. im also so happy to see Hiroki get his due as Suga when he finally gets to step up to the plate - or net, as it were - and basically pinch-hit for Kags. he plays senpai!Suga so sweetly, like you really can’t help but love him coz he’s so caring. i also did not expect to be hit right in the feels with the switch back from him to Kageyama, but that bit where he says “it’s frustrating, but hinata’s expression when he’s hitting my sets is different from when it’s yours” really got me. and then when he had to leave the court, asahi and daichi send a fist bump his way, and he gives just this tiny fist bump wave that’s both tired and disappointed and sad, and it’s juST! it hurts me everytime. and before this gets long, im gonna just spotlight the last 10-15 minutes of the show, right after Karasuno loses. Kenta absolutely nails Hinata’s expression in the manga, that wide-eyed disbelief and shock. and then when Daichi tells him not to apologize because he didn’t miss, when Daichi just walks over and hugs him, good gawd. (sidebar, but i’m so glad i got to see that bit with both Ken-chan here and KT in Strongest Team.) and the way Hinata couldn’t move after thanking the audience, not even after Ukai called him back, so Daichi had to actually go get him? my heart was in PIECES. and then the fuggin dinner scene. LORD ABOVE. like, if you dont love Kenta Suga as Hinata, this is the scene that should convince you you’re wrong.

4. The Strongest Team this is right smack dab in the middle of the list because it’s probably the best staged show of all the seven that i’ve seen, but it also hurts me so much for all the obvious reasons. this is the one i’ve rewatched the least, and everytime i rewatch it, i cry as if it’s the first time im watching it. the whole show absolutely feels like a tribute to the Karasuno cast and all the growth they’ve had and contributed to Haisute over their three years with the show, and the entire thing feels so fond, if that makes any sense. everyone on the team gets a big emotional moment, and it’s so sweet to see them each paid tribute. aside from them, i gotta AGAIN shout-out kousuke as oikawa. i like aoba josai enough, i like oikawa enough as a character, but that moment when kousuke absolutely broke down in the locker room after losing to karasuno broke my heart, even more so knowing that he absolutely felt all that gratitude because he wasnt sure he’d be able to come back to the show coz of his hip injury. i think one little moment that doesnt get as talked about as it should is just after he and Iwaizumi have that short convo of always being each other’s partners even after they’ve moved on to different schools. they do their fist bump, and then Iwa walks away, but Kousuke/Oikawa is still absolutely in tears, and as Iwa walks off, he just kind of reaches out and lets out a pained “Iwa-chan!” that’s just barely audible, and that jUST. GETS ME EVERYTIME. hell, im feeling a little heartstring pull right now just thinking about it. i also wanna shout-out Shiratorizawa because Engeki made me actually care about them. like, okay - i dont hate Shiratorizawa, at all. but watching the anime, despite having an entire season be around them, i just never really latched onto them. i like Ushiwaka enough, and i just...dont like Tendou (sue me). but Engeki Haikyuu has a habit of spotlighting other teams and characters enough to make you actually think about them and care about them, and Shiratorizawa was the biggest example of that for me. their theme is awesome, it’s this big, deep, heavy thing that feels as big and broad as the players look. and i could feel their almost militaristic teamwork when the coach is on them, and it’s so good. speaking of Coach Washijo, shout-out to that flashback scene to his younger days. Kenta looked absolutely risible in the wig and giant eyebrows, but i think it was an important touch to have the person playing Hinata be the person playing younger Washijo, because their inner conflicts are basically the same, and Washijo comes to appreciate Hinata’s efforts because of it, so i thought that was a nice touch. (still dont like Tendou tho, sue me.) i gotta end this entry coz it’s getting long, so im just gonna quickly list my favorite scenes/moments:

Yamaguchi’s pinch serve, and bringing out the spear. Kairi Miura wields that spear like he’s been doing it all his life.

Tsukki’s big “GODDAMMIT I THINK I LOVE VOLLEYBALL NOW” moment. the expression on ryotaro’s face right at the end of that scene, where he’s basically saying “it’s just a club, AND YET!” uuuggggghhhh, please i love it. also, shout-out to when Hinata pointed at him and just said “...nice.” like...that always feels like only half Hinata and Tsukki, and more half-Kenta and his best friend Ryotaro, just like the “Tsukki! that one was worth a 100 points!” line that absolutely gets Ryotaro so that on the live cam he had to turn his head away before he meant to for the next bit.

that moment in the last-ish set of the match where everyone is just DESPERATE to win, so it becomes this frantic rally and volley where everyone just starts to grunt and yell louder and louder, and people are running back and forth and jumping and diving, and it’s just this cacophony of sound and blur of movement that just seems to stretch on and on, until finally Shiratorizawa just yells “SHUT UP! WE’RE STRONGER!” and knocks all of Karasuno down. WHEW. that bit is just. WHEW. i almost always forget to breathe at that point. and then the waterworks get turned on as Ukai tearfully tells them to get back up, because volleyball is a sport where you HAVE to look up. LORDDDDD.

the bit towards the end of the match, after tsukki returns from his injury, where they absolutely acted out Ushiwaka pushing Hinata and Tsukki to the floor and holding their heads down. when i first watched it, i gasped because that is straight out of the anime and manga, and then when the rest of Karasuno came in to pull Ushi off, i just turned into a giant sobbing mess.

the graduation curtain call, obviously, but in particular, the bit that will ALWAYS, WITHOUT FAIL, destroy me is when Kenta says “this show was so tiring and tough sometimes, but when i look back, all i can remember are the good times, the best times.” GODDAMMIT IM TEARING UP BADLY RN JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT BIT.

3. Summer Of Evolution this is where the lines between the rankings get a little bit blurred, because i love these top three equally for the most part, but i had to choose a number two (i absolutely know what my number one is), and when i really think about it, SoE just gets edged out by my number two, but barely. i think what i love the most about this show is that this, more than any of the other shows, really portrays these characters as high school kids. and that’s not just because part of the story is set in the school and it’s actually showing the school sometimes, but coz they’re going through and portraying teenage experiences and emotions. most of the other shows portray the team in matches, so we’re seeing them more as volleyball players than teenagers or students, but we get to finally see that here, and it’s really refreshing. other than that, im gonna try to just list some of my highlights and favorites again coz i dont wanna keep going too long:

im so glad to finally have girls on the show, and not just in a “YAY FEMINISM! GIRL POWER! WHOO!” kind of way. kiyoko has always felt like an inextricable part of the team for me, so it was bittersweet to have such a great Karasuno cast but without a Kiyoko, so i was REALLY happy to finally get her here! and for a first time actor ever, Shizune was so awesome! she absolutely has that gentle strength that Kiyoko has, and the way she’s been written in absolutely does feel like she’s always been there. i do wish she got more to do with the third year boys, but all in all, it’s SO good to have an actual Kiyoko who absolutely looks like she came out of the manga.

im also just so DAMN happy about Yachi and her portrayal here. i think ami saito is so dang perfect, and yachi is such a fun addition that fits right in with the chaotic fun of Karasuno. one thing that i REALLY love, though, is how she gets to just act. before Haisute, my only experience of female characters and actors on a 2.5D stage is with Uraraka (and two or three other female students) in BNHA and Elizabeth in Kuroshitsuji, and those characters are your typical cutesy girls, and their movements and body language are so typically girly, you know what i mean, those softer arms and smaller movements, looser fingers, these little “Kyaa~” things, those things. but Kiyoko, Yachi and Saeko arent like that, so that’s not how they’re portrayed here. Ami as Yachi is just as loud and expressive and active as the Karasuno boys, bar actually playing in a match. also, her chemistry with Kenta is SO GOOD. i dont really ship YachiHina, i think they’re cute friends, but BOY DID THESE TWO MAKE ME RETHINK THAT. ami’s Yachi with Kenta’s Hinata made me think “YOU KNOW WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THESE TWO GO ON A CHAPERONED DATE.” they’re adorable. a particular fave of mine is when hinata climbs a tree to help a baby bird back into its nest and he asks Yachi if she wants to climb up too, and also after Yachi finishes making the Hinata poster, she jumps onto the back of Hinata’s bike and they ride off-stage together. PLEASE IT’S SO CUTE.

also: SAEKO NEE-SAN PLEASE STEP ON ME.

OH HI FUKURODANI. they are such good chaos boys, i love them. i dont have much to say about them here just yet, but WOW im so glad to have them onstage at last.

NEKOMA IS BACK THANK GAWD I LOVE NEKOMA. of all the teams portrayed, i think nekoma is the one that feels the most connected together (AHA!). like, even when they have a new character and/or cast member, the new ones never really stand out as new, they feel like they’ve always been there. this play really showcases the teams at their most casual so we dont get to see as much of their excellent teamwork and connection as we do in past and future shows, but you really get a sense of their family dynamic and just GOD I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, and honestly dont get me started on ShoriTaka, i will literally never stop

shout-out to Tatsuya Kageyama, he had big shoes to fill not just in terms of character but also as an actor, since this is his first show ever. much like with KT and Naoki as DaiSuga, it does feel like he plays a similar enough Kageyama without just mimicing Tacchu. this is also the right Kags arc to introduce a new Kageyama actor with as well, since there’s a big change after that loss to Aoba Josai and Oikawa, so i think the writing of the show also absolutely helped Kage-chan ease into his role, and helped the audience ease into this new Kageyama. overall, i think he did an awesome job, and we’re really fortunate to have had two awesome Kageyamas before gen 1/1.5 changed to gen 2.

i also just noticed/realized that the backstage video for SoE starts with the introduction of Kage-chan and Fucchi as new cast members, and ends with the farewell to Ken-chan and Hiroki as graduating members, and i know that’s just natural coz the first time the Karasuno cast met the two new members was at the photoshoot for visuals, but also what a nice little circle of life there.

COMING INTO THE HOMESTRETCH NOW, if you’ve made it this far, thank you SO MUCH, im sorry, i really just have a tendency to ramble, and like i said, i dont really have anyone or an opportunity to talk this deep about these shows to, so thanks so much for your time.

2. Karasuno, Revival! WHEW okay, so idk if this is Unpopular Opinion or controversial coz objectively it is the best show so far, and i’ve put it only at number 2. BUT LISTEN: before i saw Tokyo Battle, this was absolutely my number 1 favorite. the Dateko match is so good and so fun to watch, and honestly, that rap battle gives me so much life im almost immortal now. i LOVE that they also got to show ikejiri (THANK YOU KENTA SUGA) and ken-chan as daichi got his moments because of it, and it gave us “katou tou shinakya, katenai!” as an iconic quote and theme for the show, we got a fantastic moment for Asahi that was paid off from the previous show, also honestly “otchita kyougo, tobenai garasu” is just gonna be stuck in your head forever for a while. we also got Kousuke and Allen’s excellent IwaOi back, bringing with them their “Iwa-chan, are you my mom” dynamic (and gawd the cackle i let out when Iwa yeets a volleyball at Oikawa, or that turn and yell that makes Oikawa yelp as he exits off stage lkasdjf), which is always a plus. but! BUT!! best thING FOR ME???? NEKOMA, BABY!! like im sorry, im biased, but i fuggin LOVE nekoma, kuroo is my favorite character in the entire series, and Haisute really gave them a fantastic story and dynamic, because again, there’s so much you can do on stage that you sometimes cant do in anime or manga, so they were really able to highlight Nekoma’s famous teamwork, especially when centered around Kenma. more on that later, but like. it was just such a JOY to watch Karasuno, still kind of scattered puzzle pieces at this point trying to figure out how to best go together to create one big picture, go up against the smooth teamwork of Nekoma, and learn and grow from it. also they honestly have the best team theme music and team dance, fite me. also thank you Haisute for making KuroDai so painfully real lakdsfj

1. Tokyo Battle okay okaY OKAY OKAY OKAY. i think there are some people who actually like this the least coz it’s just too different from the rest of the shows that came before it - no Karasuno, less projections, different music style, aesthetically different stage, etc. B U T. aside from me just being biased because Nekoma are my favorite team, i actually think many of those differences are what makes this show my favorite one. first of all, the music is LIT AF. the themes for each team are so distinct, they really help play up the animal motifs that are played up the most in this show than in any of the others. secondly, THAT CHOREOGRAPHY THO. good gawd. HIDALI said “it’s our last Haisute, let’s go out with a bang” and they really fuggin did. Fukurodani absolutely is TOKYO PARTY TIME, they got to really play up their party birds schtick and i love it. Nohebi i cannot HELP but love because i love snakes, but also, with Nohebi’s cast, you can tell the choreographers were so happy to finally have an actual technical dancer. they had yuu fukuzawa doing the most and then some in playing up the snake theme, and it’s literally so hypnotic to watch his pops, locks and isolations. he’s also just such an AWESOME daisho, and it helps that nohebi are written to be cunning and sneaky. i also love that he and Kuroo seem to actually have a lot of untold history, and i kind of wish we could get a bit more elaboration on that, coz Yuu’s and Shori’s chemistry as frenemy team captains is SO GOOD. and then of course. NEKOMA, BABY!! so okay. kenma absolutely should be the lead of this show, and he is, BUT he’s also, to a certain extent, inextricable from Kuroo and the rest of the team, so that you dont always get that feeling of Kenma being in the spotlight the same way Hinata is (for understandable reasons since Nekoma arent even really the main characters of the story as a whole), and i think that’s important because, again, Nekoma is all about that teamwork and connection. like, Kenma is the lead because he thinks for Nekoma, and Nekoma acts accordingly, instead of how it is usually where the story is showing Hinata’s perspective alone. it also feels like that in terms of the actors. like, technically Takato is zachou, and he is, but also several times in the curtain call speeches, the cast members refer to or mention both Takato and Shori together. even Takato says that when he had spoken to Kenta about how nervous he was about taking up the zachou mantle from him, Kenta had said “if it’s you and shori, you’ll be fine.” they are a unit, and it really comes across in their portrayals of Kuroo and Kenma as well, and even if you love nothing else about this show, you literally cannot help but love that about them. i think the show does a great job revolving the Nekoma team dynamic around that too without making it the ONLY thing that keeps Nekoma together. the star of the show is absolutely the theme of “connection” (more than the other theme of promises), and if you’ve seen the show and you dont cry at the “Tsunage” section as Nekoma wins the match against Nohebi, then are you really watching the show lmao.

OKAY OKAY I’VE REALLY RAMBLED ON, and if you made it all the way here, THANK YOU AND IM SORRY. but also, there’s still a lot of things i wanna talk about that i didnt talk about here coz im mostly a scatterbrain and live half my life radiating BDE - Bokuto Dumbass Energy. so if you’re also ridiculously obsessed with these shows and wanna talk about it, my inbox is open. someone come hyperfixate with me while i make SO MANY MORE GIFSETS OHMYGOD ALL THE GIFSETS geezas crust when i get to Tokyo Battle i will be insufferable.

#engeki haikyuu #haikyuu #haisute #hyper projection engeki haikyuu #haikyuu stage play #long post #REALLY LONG POST IM SO SORRY #Mango Goes To Jail #NO REALLY IT'S LONG

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mythiica · 5 years

Text

Reader x Ieyasu Tokugawa - Eccedentesiast

Title: Eccedentesiast

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Character: Ieyasu Tokugawa

Genre: angst bc im sad ;)

Warnings: this fic may be a personal attack @ people who dont like angst

Intended Gender Audience: Female Audience

Word Count: 1119 words

Other comments: This is a fic where reader is someone who works in the castle! I have not played his route, but everything i reference is FICTIONAL. Maybe something coincides, but that is unintentional~ therefore, don’t worry about spoilers <3

eccedentesiast

(n).

A person who fakes a smile

When you learned of the strange girl named Mai who saved Lord Nobunaga, you never would have imagined that she would become the Oda Princess. In fact, you assumed, like everyone else, that she would have no business staying at the palace and promptly be shipped off to wherever she came from. Instead, the warlords seemed to praise the ground she walked on. Nobunaga had a fun time showing her off to possible suitors, while the other paraded her around the troops to increase moral.

It wasn’t that she was a bad person, in fact, she was always kind – especially considering her sudden increase in status. Despite her high ranking, she chose to work with the palace seamstresses to pursue her passion. She had a strange style, but it just boosted her popularity.

Furthermore, you expected her to fall in love with Nobunaga as she had saved him. Instead, she seemed to sweep Ieyasu from under your fingertips.

“Lord Ieyasu?” you inquired with a soft voice. He was tending to his work, testing out combinations of herbal concoctions before recording them in the large, leather-bound journal.

After finishing his sentence, he set down the brush and looked up at you.

You lost your words for a moment, but then came back to your senses. “Lord Nobunaga requested that I inform you about the war council meeting. He has changed the times forwa-”

“That damned man,” Ieyasu scowled, slamming his book shut. “Can’t he leave me alone for a day?”

A giggle escaped from your lips at his reaction, causing him to shoot you a dark glare.

“Apologies,” you whispered, bowing your head. You backpedaled until you reached the doorway.

Before you exited, Ieyasu called for you, waving his hand to coax you closer. “You’ve changed something about yourself,” he commented without lifting his head as he closed the ink bottle.

A warm flushed your cheeks and you nodded before realize he could not see you. “Uh.. Mai has been testing out some new patterns for her work, and insisted that I wear the latest style to test it.” This was the truth, but you hated admitting it to Ieyasu, in fear that he would compliment her work rather than you.

However, you do not expect the words that follow: “The color suits you.”

A compliment.

Brief and stale, like old bread, but a compliment nonetheless.

Your heart lurched in your chest, so your hand flew upwards as to keep it from flying forward. “T-Thank you, my lord.” Bowing at the waist slightly, you take your leave before he in fact looked up to see your flustered face.

This victory was short lived.

Two days later, you heard Ieyasu in passing.

The color suits you, he remarked.

You stopped dead in your tracks and immediately began to fuss over your appearance – you had been helping the cooks (who were short staffed) and had unfortunately broken a sweat. Hairs fell loose from your bun to curl over your forehead, so you brushed your fingers through them in an attempt to hide the evidence of labor.

However, upon turning your head slightly, you watched as Ieyasu tuck a strand of Mai’s hair behind her ear. You repeated the motion like the lovestruck monkey you were, imagining that Ieyasu was standing in front of you. He leaned forward and his lips brushed against Mai’s in a brief, but powerful movement.

The basket fell from your hands, and you successfully broke the kiss before it could deepen.

Ieyasu and Mai looked at you as you scrambled to your knees to collect the objects.

As he stood up to approach you, you bowed, praying that he would not see your tears, whispered an apology, and ran in the other direction.

After that incident, you requested that you change positions within the castle. When Hideyoshi inquired why you would want to move, you simply told him that you were unfit to work under Ieyasu. He wore a pained expression because he could sense the underlying issues, but he did not press and simply approved you to work under him instead.

Life progressed relatively normal, but the nagging feeling continued to gnaw at your insides. Occasionally, Hideyoshi would ask you to deliver messages between the warlords, but he did not ask you to take anything directly to Ieyasu.

So when you turned the corner and nearly ran into Ieyasu, you were at a loss for words. A string of incoherent sounds fell from your trembling lips, but he waved his hand, brushing it – and you – off. Swallowing hard, you continued on your way, but at a faster pace than before.

You were nearly on the other side of the patio when he called out.

Not directly at you, but since you were the only person around, you stop and wait for his orders.

“Why did you leave?”

I’m surprised you noticed.

You could feel him standing behind you. “I failed to complete my duties, Lord Ieyasu. And therefore I was unfit to work.”

He does not reply immediately, likely pondering at a proper response.

“Shame.”

Indeed.

When war broke out, things were different.

Mai went to the front lines to help in the small ways she could, but you had to remain in the castle with the rest of the frightened cattle. There was no way to confirm Ieyasu’s safety, so you waited patiently with everyone else.

Thankfully, the Oda forces returned in one piece and with a triumph over the rebelling groups. In more jarring news, Ieyasu returned engaged.

According to whispers from other maids, Mai had rescued him on the battlefield before confessing her love. Upon claiming their victory, Ieyasu proposed to her.

Crushed by the announcement, you tried to find a way to leave the castle, but Ieyasu specifically requested you to measure him for his formal gowns. You found it painfully ironic, but agreed as to not disappoint him.

You brushed your fingers under his arm, and he lifted it as to allow you to measure his arm length. The silence was nearly unbearable until he cleared his throat.

“Hideyoshi… mentioned something to me.”

You nearly poked him with one of the needles used to pin the fabric back.

“About why you left.”

You grit your teeth, but tried to keep your composure.

“Perhaps in another life-”

“Lord Ieyasu.”

He stopped.

“I have moved on from then, my lord,” you give him a bright smile. “And you have a wedding to prepare for. Do not preoccupy yourself with my issues.”

Ieyasu scoffed. “What a fake smile.”

The muscles in your face relaxed, surprised by his words.

“As I said, perhaps in another life, it would have been a reality.”

#ieyasu #ieyasu tokugawa #ikesen #ikemen sengoku #ikesen ieyasu #angst #cybird #otome

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paintingraves · 5 years

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Crimes of Grindelwald info dump

CAREFUL : SPOILERS ! There’s no structure to this I’m sorry

the humor is still very present. from newt’s awkward flirting skills to Jacob’s tell-tale high-pitched screams, it’s all here and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

seeing Hogwarts again was a great plus as well. Dumbledore as a teacher is a great thing.

Speaking of which Jude Law makes a perfect young Dumbledore. His performance is great, and I wish he’d had more screentime. I’m looking forward to seeing his role grow in further movies.

Credence is GROWING and that’s GREAT even if he MAKES MISTAKES

the baby nifflers - and as a matter of fact, all creatures - are delightful. the CGI is very well-done, and the creativity behind each of them is palatable. I love those guys so much.

Newt and Tina are actually adorable as fuck

Dan Fogler is great. Scratch that, he steals the show. He’s brilliant.

The cinematography, costumes, etc - all that is great as well. it’s believable.

in terms of acting… none of the actors get much screentime. Queenie & Jacob do get some emotional scenes. Credence is very busy making angry murder faces at the camera. I liked Tina as well, but again - not enough screentime.

there’s a lot of new characters being introduced, some who get no more than perhaps ten minutes of screentime as a whole (looking at you Nagini.) We get this whole building plot about Credence being Leta’s long-lost brother, thought dead, only to have it crumble in the last minutes - the same as it was with Credence’s sister Modesty in the first movie who we thought was the Obscurus. Now that worked actually well in FB1 but here it feels… kind of anticlimactic? Leaving you to wonder the whys and the hows because nothing led up to it.

I’d like to know how Credence came to know Nagini and how he found himself working in a circus, as well as how he survived. How?!

Nagini and Credence seem to be close friends, nothing more. Which is good - he could use some good friends, especially given the direction he’s taking. Just wish Nagini had more screentime to really show up the mechanics of their relationship and how close they are, because it really isn’t clear. We’re just supposed to take at face value that they know each other and that’s it.

How did Credence even find his adoption papers? Isn’t he being wanted by every government in the world? How does his status work?

They’re literally sending assassins after him because he’s supposedly Grindelwald’s greatest weapon, which like… chill a bit guys maybe. Rethink this through???

Oh, Grindelwald. Grindelwald is grooming Credence like hell, calling him “my boy” again and again and hugging him and touching him and making promises and Credence is falling for it hook, line and sinker. Someone help him holy shit.

One of the characters that actually does make sense is actually Abernathy. His role is minimal but he does help Grindelwald escape and seems to be given tasks of importance - which seems to be a great deal for a man who, like him, appeared to be no one before. It’s easy to see how he could have been seduced to Grindelwald’s side.

We don’t know much about Rosier yet. She’s just here. Looking pretty and threatening and hinting at her ‘close relationship’ with Grindelwald, whatever that means (I don’t want to think about it.) She seems to be his second-in-command.

I liked the fact that at the end Grindelwald and Queenie are like bros. Bitch bros. That’s wonderful and terrifying.

I didn’t say it enough, but the grooming

There were so many times. So many times where they could have mentioned Percival Graves and what happened to him in passing but not only once. NoT OnLy oNcE

but that’s a whole other headache SO. moving on

Hmmm Leta. What to say about Leta? She’s great. She seems like a good person, and Zoé did a great job portraying her. She’s the one who gets the most emotional scenes, next to Jacob and Queenie. There’s a whole family drama unfolding here (which oooh boi is it complicated) and it’s kind of easy to see how she became the woman she is?

She and Theseus seem to love each other very much. I’m wishing they had had more screentime, the two of them.

Nicolas Flamel is here for comic value.

I loved the relationship between Theseus and Newt. There’s some real brotherly love and character growth in there, and it felt good to see it depicted well.

I’m wondering how powerful that assassin sent by the british minister needed to be to resist the full-blown assault of a grown obscurus. even Grindelwald had trouble doing that. where’s the logic ???

also how did they obliviate the entire city of Paris following that little trick with the dark cloaks inviting people to Grindelwald’s little rendez-vous? Unless it was visible only to wizards, but since they show us an old intrigued man looking out the window I don’t think it was the case. So?

Same thing with the blue fires and red fires in the cemetery - how’re they gonna explain that to the muggle police and fire brigade should they come running?

Bunty is here for comic value.

Newt literally isn’t aware of his own appeal. I’m afraid oblivious!Newt from the fics is sorta canon now.

TINA DOESN’T GET ENOUGH SCREENTIME. She’s one of the characters who, along with Jacob, seems to have her shit together and seems eager to get shit done but we don’t see her progress. The movie prefers to focus on her relationship with Newt - which, don’t get me wrong, they’re adorable as fuck - instead of the much more interesting investigation plot line she has got going on. She’s an Auror; let her be an Auror ! Show us that side of her !

Queenie was certainly… something in this movie. I get the feeling she’s suffering a lot and Grindelwald is the only one, unfortunately, who listens.

Jacob the poor guy goes through a lot in this one too. I don’t know how he’s expected to survive in a world he really shouldn’t be in, and I think he’s starting to realize that. At the end of the movie he looks to be on the verge of a breakdown.

Leta dies sacrificing herself so the others can escape. Which is very noble but… I don’t know how I feel about that one just yet.

Grindelwald and Dumbledore… Hmm. Dumbledore shows us his suffering intimately. It’s a short but intense scene that goes one with him in front of that mirror and it’s a great piece of acting. Seeing Johnny Depp in front of him stiiiiill doesn’t cut it but oH WELL

Seeing Jamie morph into JD was about as bad as seeing Colin Farrell morph into him tbh. It’s unbelievable.

Now Grindelwald… Grindelwald is… He is Grindelwald. He is busy being Grindelwald. He’s not particularly striking but he gets the job done. That’s it.

Sometimes he looks terrifying and sometimes he looks ridiculous. The character design is still a hard pill to swallow.

I got the feeling at some points that Grindelwald worked well when he was doing some Johnny Depp. Like when he asks Queenie if Credence trusts him or when he says “I hate Paris” after killing a dozen people at the end of his rally - that was funny. Unexpected. And it worked well.

For someone who claims they are the non-violent ones he does seems very prone to like, drowning people, killing children and burning people with fire lol - but all that away from the public eye, which is clever. I’d say in Grindelwald’s and his followers’ opinion that rally worked very well. It did what it was meant to - give them an insight into his hopes and beliefs and then scare them into joining his side.

They introduced World War II which, oh boi. Wonder how they’re gonna weave the muggle history and wizarding world plotline together.

Credence joining him also makes sense for his character. He wants to know who he is and Grindelwald offers him that. But Grindelwald plays him so well it’s also very sad to watch it unfold.

Credence is gonna be so powerful growing under his tutelage though.

The actors playing young Newt and Leta were awesome! Very good casting, very believable. Young Newt’s got Eddie Redmayne’s trademark Newt mannerisms down to a point - congrats to them both!

Newt the adult… well he is busy being Newt. He’s quite cute and clumsy, but he still has some growth to do as a protagonist. I like him being the main character though. He’s caring.

Yusuf Kama doesn’t get much screentime either. He’s part of the whole Lestrange family drama plotline. We don’t have time to get attached to the character.

We don’t relate much to any character, actually. Not to Credence, not to Dumbledore, not to any minor new character either. We might relate slightly to Newt’s rivalry with his brother or his difficulties in approaching the woman he likes as well as the difficulties Jacob and Queenie are facing as a couple buuuut that’s pretty much it.

There’s a scene at the beginning when we’re in the carriage and Grindelwald gets illuminated by lightning - he looks properly terrifying. My heart skipped a beat.

Newt and Leta’s relationship is really touching. It’s easy to see how they could have become close friends.

The Ministry trying to recruit Newt into the auror department like you seriously thought that was gonna work ? lmao

Jacob being charmed by Queenie is problematic…. but it’s interesting to see how Queenie evolves, how she could be driven to such desperations. In my opinion Jacob is a bit too quick to forgive something like this lol but yK

Newt just wants to get to Tina and that’s cute

God these two are just terribly awkward

I genuinely thought they were gonna kiss at one point though.

I felt bad for Credence seeing the servant who was a link to his family (or maybe not ahaa SPOILER) die like minutes after he met her. the poor dude.

So Credence is a Dumbledore uh. Wonder how that one skipped past Rita Skeeter’s sharp quill.

Credence blasting that hole in the mountain like YEAH BABY THERE YOU GO !!!!!

The niffler steals the blood pact Grindelwald keeps on him at all times and im like YES BABY THERE YOU GO TOO !!! GOOD BOY !

and idk there’s probably more to say but here you go

Now I’m saying all this but personally I have a really hard time caring about anything I’m saying or any of the characters. But that’s personal.

#crimes of grindelwald spoilers #tcog spoilers #fb spoilers #fb2 spoilers #fbtcog spoilers #juTS SPOILERS IN GENERAL OKAY #thanks bye #i kinda really want to try to do an articulated review like a movie critic though #but i dont care #slljdksfhsjfjsdf

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thekaijudude · 5 years

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Ultraman R/B Movie Review Part 1: Overall [SPOILERS]

I finally managed to finish this wow

(It took such a long time cause I had to rewatch it thrice and then analyse certain scenes more closely to clear up some doubts I had. Because trust me, this show is so content HEAVY especially when it comes to Part 2)

So,

The R/B Movie had surprisingly had a semblance of a well-thought out plot comparatively to the other New Gen Movies (which isn’t really saying much, but hey, at least its over)

As in the transitions throughout the movie were mostly MUCH smoother and easier to follow as there is a very good focus on Katsumi as we follow him through his journey to find his goal in life.

But everything else? Errrrr…..

1. Main theme of the Movie???

Ok we all know the main theme of the movie was supposed to be about kinship and whatnot but the bulk of the movie was about Katsumi’s struggles to find his goal and place in the world and having to struggle with his identity as Minato Katsumi or Ultraman Rosso, all whilst having to save a fellow friend of his from falling into darkness.

The last aspect was probably one of the stronger points of the movie as Yukio is essentially facing the same issue as Katsumi so it added a lot of rich dynamics between the two as Katsumi really had no idea how to help Yukio in moving forward from his setback since he himself isn’t really in a ‘higher ground’ to help or advise. Which resulted in the two becoming more and more disconnected with each other, especially when Yukio found out that Katsumi was Rosso.

Yeah that sounds neat and all, but where does the theme of ‘Kinship’ and ‘Bonds’ all fit into this?

a) The idea of kinship throughout the movie is very forcibly and awkwardly inserted throughout the movie, just like how Geed forced the word and idea of ‘fate’ down our throats even tho it actually sometimes dosent really concern the idea or just doesn’t make sense at all as to why it was the underlying theme of a certain scene or dialogue.

b) Pretty sure bringing Geed into this movie and involving him in the whole ‘family’ idea is the worst ultra to talk that topic about

I honestly thought he was gonna talk about his family actually being Moa and the gang even tho Belial is his biological dad to reinforce the idea that kinship goes beyond blood ties to mirror the relationship between Riku and the R/B siblings

But he literally just stopped at Belial. At this point, the dialogue between Asahi and Riku becomes soooo dry and awkward (Its literally almost as dry as the dialogues between Isami and Yuha in ep 5), especially Riku’s awkward smile and Asahi’s awkward reaction in the end, the atmosphere was so awkward that it really caused goosebumps to form on everyone when I watched it together with my friends for the first time, even during subsequent rewatches.

2. The manufactured, abrupt insertion of ‘Kinship & Family’

The flow of the movie shifted too abruptly midway through the movie as virtually 90% of the plot was previously centered around Katsumi finding his place in the world and making difficult choices but all the progress made thus far then suddenly shifted to the theme ‘Kinship & Family’, the drastic shift was especially apparent starting from when Trigger appeared out of the screen and talked to Blu about how kinship is so fragile and whatnot. But like, what sparked this monologue from Trigger? It was seemingly so random.

Even after defeating Snake Darkness (SD), Gruebe turns around to the audience and says along the lines of 'You see? This the true power of family’, I can promise you, 5/5 of my friends I was watching with including me cringed at this moment, just thinking about it right now still makes me cringe

3. Horrendous CGI scenes

Remember I said in one of the R/B Movie Trailer reviews that the CGI model of Gruebe looks really weird when he was shot beside UF?

Yeah wow it gets worse than that.

All of CGI scenes in which only 1 party is CGI is simply just too horrendous to watch, especially when Gruebe grapples with SD, Gruebe’s movements were so stiff and awkward (And that one scene where Gruebe recovers from SD’s strike looks so cheap)

But otherwise, that Gruebe vs Trigger battle sequence where both models were CGI was done pretty ok-ish for the most part

And the gesticulations and voice acting for Trigger when he was in CGI was totally out of sync

And man at the last scene where UF and Gruebe interacted with each other at the end I literally breathed a sign of relief when we see the only scene where Gruebe’s actual suit is being used (And oh boy does it look MUCH BETTER)

4. Power Scaling

Gruebe went from literally being trashed by SD to suddenly being able to totally tank his strikes without any sort of stagger AND fling SD around within a span of 5 seconds

5. Others

- Gruebe’s main grunt is essentially the acoustic embodiment of ‘clusterfuck’, especially with that ridiculously high pitch. Coupled with the horrendous CGI, Im having EXTREME difficulty trying to enjoy fight scenes when Gruebe is present

- Also a couple of friends described Gruebe’s gesticulations as and I quote 'disturbingly flamboyant’, I personally just found it rather weird but I guess that’s Grigio’s influence on Gruebe so welp

- Asahi never fails to be cringey even as Grigio

- I get the symbolism behind Grigio’s transformation but other than that, it really dosent make any sense considering that Grigios are a separate species of kaiju, I initially though that Saki’s spirit was gonna become the Ultrawoman Grigio crystal or sth

- In addition to the previous point, isn’t Asahi the embodiment of the Makoto Crystal? But yet now she’s an independent Ultra???

WHAT???????

6. Conclusion

Overall, the R/B Movie actually falls under one of those rare New Gen Movie specimens that is of a somewhat similar quality as the series.

Ive even heard many people saying that both share a similar pattern, as they both start out very promising and engaging before quickly plummeting down to the ground.

But at least TsuPro got to try out some new ideas especially with the whole CGI aspects and could hopefully improve on it.

And this marks the end of the New Gen Era (aka the experimental era) to usher in the new Reiwa Era of Ultraman.

Other than that, noticed I haven’t said much about Trigger even tho I consistently said that hes the mvp for this movie? Well Part 2 is ALL about him, cause trust me,

This character is SO RICH its not even funny

So stay tuned for Part 2 where ill get to the JUICY MEAT of this whole movie

#ultraman #ultraman rb #ultraman r/b

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shadowonaqua · 6 years

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Initiative, perseverance, epiphany, and trust (My thoughts on Free! Dive to the Future - Episodes 7 and 8)

So I’m finally back after a long cram session! There were so many emotions and interactions that came to light in the last two episodes, so we have a lot to cover! But first, we see a new face come to the main screen.

This is a little long, but I hope it can be a good ride for y’all!

Starting from the end of episode 6 into the start of episode 7, we officially meet Ryuuji, a wandering former swimmer coach who hates mackerel saunters into Haru’s life through Asahi’s brother-in-law. Other than Makoto, we are the first to see that Haru asks this slightly-scruffy and enigmatic man to coach him (all in exchange for food as payment... oh, how I wished for that kind of bargain to work in real life).

Now that is initiative. Seeing how the entire series emphasized Haru’s love of water and aloof attitude towards life in general, this is huge.

Not only that, Haru is getting extra lessons for the sake of Ikuya. Just as Haru’s dear friends saved him back in high school when he was lost and trapped by pressure, Haru is now extending his hand out to help Ikuya in his own way. As we find out just a few minutes later, the fact that Haru is going completely outside of his comfort zone to help a friend shows to us how much he has grown as an individual and as a friend. The current Haru knows the value of friendship, and has come to accept the huge role that friendship has on his ability to swim. We have seen throughout this episode just how strong of a swimmer Haru is, and so we must remember the journey that Haru went through to get to this stage. Although Haru may not know how lonely Ikuya is feeling since he hasn’t had a chance to speak to Ikuya in person (also, how sad is it when someone says that he or she don’t know what friends are anymore?), Haru seems to have realized to a certain extent how his swimming brings light to his friends’ lives. So, as Nao puts it, Haru must help in the best way that he can.

In life, we’re often told to take initiative of our own lives in order to achieve our goals, whether in our careers or in our personal lives. Not too often do we completely change our regular routine just for a friend, but if a friend is important enough to us, we may be more than willing to do just that. Haru has evolved into a selfless individual who is willing to go above and beyond for his friends, and in this sense he is a great role model for us to look up to. His perseverance in trying to repair his friendship with Ikuya despite the shade thrown at him a few weeks back shows a maturity that many eighteen-year-olds don’t exhibit. Furthermore, the positive attitude that Haru has towards improving his own swimming shows a growth that I am sure many of us anticipated and welcomed, for he is branching out and evolving as a swimmer worthy for the world stage. Once again, this anime is expressing the nuances of adulthood through exploration of new avenues, taking initiative to achieve our goals, and persevering through any challenges that are thrown our way. These concepts are pervasive through much of our lives, including Haru’s, and the massive improvement shown in Haru’s swimming is a testament to all the hard work he put in as he enters uncharted swimming territory for himself and for his dear friend.

(Before I continue, cue to how cute Kisumi is as he gets bored waiting for his friends to free up time, haha)

(Also, how great is Akane?! Her support for Asahi and his friends in their swimming careers is so endearing. And Tsukushi. OMG can I play with him?! Please don’t kick me in the face though, haha.)

And FINALLY, Asahi and Ikuya meet up, and that is where we first see in Ikuya’s own spoken words how confused and lonely he is. In this interaction, we notice just how much Asahi values his friends, and how he makes these thoughts so obvious to the viewer and to Ikuya. Despite years of not keeping in contact, Asahi views Ikuya as a dear friend, and he trusts Ikuya and the bond they had in middle school. Trust is a concept that Ikuya struggles with, and we could even see this come to light during High Speed! when Ikuya was unwilling to join the medley relay. Ikuya is an individual who wants to trust others from the bottom of his heart, but he also realized that his heart breaks little by little with each separation, starting from his older brother Natsuya. Since he is subconsciously afraid that all those he holds dear to him will leave him one day, Ikuya walled himself off from those around him and holds everyone at arm’s length. This makes Asahi the perfect foil to the current Ikuya, as Asahi’s innate trust in his friends and teammates are the best way for Ikuya to begin to realize that his friends are still there to lift him up.

Moving beyond Ikuya for just a moment, I want to appreciate the grit that Asahi shows towards his goals in swimming. As we hear from both himself and his sister, Asahi is cutting it close in his events with regards to times. As a former varsity swimmer myself, I know just how nerve-wracking this feeling is, as every millisecond counts in the world of swimming. But despite this, Asahi still keeps his goal to reach the world stage in mind and does not let the slow-but-gradual progress deter him. If anything, his motivation increases with each close shave that he has. For any of you who watched High Speed!, you’ll probably remember the Asahi who was hyper, overly-confident, and who did not have a clue about what self-reflection entails. You’ll probably also remember how Haru’s innate swimming ability literally made Asahi forget how to swim freestyle, and how distraught that made him. Yet, these experiences helped Asahi to mature and develop into the endearing character we know today, as he has grown into a natural leader who knows how to bring out the best in his friends (we have to give credit to Rei for giving him much-needed wise advice back in middle school, but seriously when are they going to meet?!), a more self-reflective but still-humorous individual who is aware of his own weaknesses, and an ever-growing swimmer who has never lost sight of his goals and so never gives up.

NOW WE’LL MOVE TO THE BIG MOMENT! Spoilers for Episode 8 are ahead, so if you haven’t watched yet, definitely watch first :D

Everyone is surprised when Haru and Ikuya are next to each other in the 400 IM. I mean, who wouldn’t be when the aloof main character of the series for 3+ years said that he only swims free?

And so we see Ikuya finally come to the realization that he isn’t alone. Yay, Ikuya! Considering that he is such a fragile person, the fact that Haru has once again saved him is endearing and nearly brought me to tears.

I mean, this:

And the fact that Haru is a softie who never forgets promises, even though he is sometimes not great at keeping them until several years later:

And this. I nearly cried myself:

I am so happy for Ikuya, and Haru, and all friends who are involved. Everyone who even knows an inkling of the friendship that Haru and Ikuya share know how important this moment is (and just as Asahi says, who cares if Haru lost the IM? They gained a friend back!).

We also find out just how much Ikuya looks up to Haru as he shares with the entire group what his wish was from the night he and Haru viewed the starry night sky. I mean, Ikuya wants to be a hero like Haru is to him? Just as Haru said, Ikuya is a hero even without realizing it. But above all, the greatest moment for me was when Ikuya remembered what true friendship is, and comes to an epiphany that getting stronger is not something you can achieve purely for your own sake, and that obtaining freedom can only happen when you become stronger for those you love.

I am positively giddy about how this season is portraying freedom. The meaning of freedom is different for every person. For some, freedom means to be able to choose what you want to do at any point of your life. For others, freedom means that you are not constrained, emotionally or mentally, by the unspoken rules that society places on behavior or thought. In Ikuya’s case, freedom could very well mean the ability to swim with no boundaries for and alongside your trusted friends and loved ones. After all, we see time and time again with this series that any limitation on friendships prevent these characters from swimming at their best.

So with this in mind, we see the old Iwatobi Middle School relay gang get back together, and we see Ikuya return to his old self.

Ikuya also brings Hiyori back to join the freestyle relay with him. Now if that’s not the greatest progression in character there is this season, I don’t know what is. I mean, the guy who has been moody and who swam alone for the last few years is now swimming with others? What?! I mean, that even threw Hiyori in for a loop.

And Ikuya is back to the same guy who teases Asahi’s habits and periodic idiocy:

I was also so, so touched when Hiyori realizes the power of Haru’s swimming and how it freed him, and when Ikuya remembers the young Hiyori that he met in early childhood. Hopefully we can see a more positive Hiyori in the coming episodes!

(And Natsuya, you so cried. I bet you that Ikuya is his older brother’s hero. What a cute sibling relationship!)

(But seriously, Kisumi, you’re in the wrong anime. You’re even recruiting Hiyori to join the basketball club?!?!)

Anyway, I had a blast with the last two episodes, and I look forward to see where these group of lads go with their newfound realizations, their growing understanding of themselves, and their aspirations in the swimming world.

Above all, we’re glad to have you back, Ikuya! Keep smiling as you did before!

#free! dive to the future #free dive to the future #free df #haruka nanase #nanase haruka #makoto tachibana #tachibana makoto #asahi shiina #shiina asahi #ikuya kirishima #kirishima ikuya #free!#I went on another long muse #maybe I should swim again #all the feels once again #swimming is so liberating #ikuya we're glad to have you back #rin is coming back?

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nonsensical-rants · 6 years

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Thoughts on Persona 5

The persona series is one of the biggest influences to me and who I am within recent memory. I’ve played every game and anticipate the idea of exploring every nook and cranny the game has to offer, across hundreds of hours. Both three and four were games that I cherish and the same can be said with five. But just like with any game I've played there are some gripes that get to me whenever i think about them for too long. This is my personal opinion but i do like hearing different viewpoints since it will always add insight to a discussion. I am prone to rambling and sometimes getting of topic but i shall do my best. Spoilers ahead for anyone who has yet to beat/see the game in its entirety.

During the “anticipation” for the games release, I didn’t really look up a lot about the game because i wanted everything to be a surprise. Aside from some trailers that hooked me in with an amazing story about Phantom Thieves who steal peoples hearts and jump out of Casinos, everything would be a surprise for me. So when i started up the game and reached Kamoshida’s Palace. I was having a grand time with all the mechanics, the music, and the different characters that were being presented too me. Personally, Morgana is one hell of a upgrade in comparison to Teddy. Both as a character, and as a mascot.

During the game play, I was always looking forward to what would come next and how it would be done. Hanging out with Ryuji and seeing Mishima change as a person were some early game highlights. Of course i went through the dungeon as fast as possible because i wanted to know the characters as much as possible. Ryuji filled a good role as a partner and as comic relief, but I felt towards the later end of the game he could’ve had another spark to get him excited (other than being pissed at corrupt adults). And no. The confrontation between Morgana and Ryuji does not count. I felt like that could have been so much better of a scene, but it was executed poorly with Morgana basically getting away for his constant belittling of “Skull”. Everyone just laughs it off, except for me because its actually just unwarranted and unnecessary rivalry between characters who just started off on the wrong foot. Morgana is a know it-all and Ryuji may need a second explanation sometimes but he has more heart that anyone in the gang.

But, i’m getting ahead of myself. The original four were interesting characters who had good traits to bounce off one another whether it be through bickering or bonding. And as the story progressed, i really found myself hating Kamoshida because of how much of an asshole he truly was behind his public mask (haha). Shiho’s involvement only strengthened that belief. As sudden as her introduction was, it still meant something to me. So taking him down, and seeing him crying while confessing everything was great satisfaction.

But this is where something started occurring to me that would constantly present itself to me throughout the course of the game and it was bothersome. Climbing up the confidant ranks of Ann, and later Makoto made me ask a question to myself over and over again. Why am i not learning more about THESE characters, but instead about Chiho and some random girl from Makoto’s class. I understand that they are being used as catalysts to show traits and ideas about their personality, but i would rather observe those traits for myself while also learning more about them. I found myself to be learning more about these characters during story cut scenes (in-game or otherwise) then i did in the confidants. And that’s a problem in my eyes.

It almost felt like they were flattening themselves like Persona Q did for the casts’ of three and four. Ann is a female model who loves sweets, cares deeply/respects herself and her friends, and can stand up for others but not so much for herself. I could’ve learned this through different scenes in the game like with different encounters of Kamoshida, the Shido cruise, and just how she carries herself. And Makoto is a whole other basket case with how shes supposed to be this “badass” who only reveals herself when she is pushed too far but she is also motherly and wants to protect what is right in her eyes. Those are the only defining traits i can think of when i think of Makoto and they are mostly shown in her Awakening scene. Maybe also when she defies her sister to download the case files and slaps her friend. Other than that, she felt very robotic to me, wanting to help this nameless individual.

We could of had a scene where Sae is worrying about her sister and wants to see one of her friends, and thinking you are the best option. She invites you (the leader of the phantom thieves) to come over. More interaction with Sae, more personal depictions of Makoto, rather than seeing the problems of someone we aren’t invested in. Or hell maybe even Akechi could show up during a confidant session. This is my first pet peeve with Persona 5. In comparison to the previous games, we learn so much more about the characters personality and problems through hangouts. Junpei isn’t a social link/confidant but we learn about his experience with Chidori and feel for him during a later confrontation (He’s a social link in Persona 3 Portable i know but im refering to three and FES). Or Kanji being a “delinquent”. We see others belittling him for his appearance and what they perceive to be his personality, but we know better as his friend. We learn about his mother and his desires through the rank ups. Moving on though.

Yusuke has one of my more favorite social links as he is overflowing with personality and (in my opinion) humor. Even if accidental, all the posing, painting and quirkyness from Yusuke is what i expected from everyone. After Madarame is taken down he goes from being defensively aggressive to shaken up and finally angry at the man he once cherished. We learn more about him both in and out of confidants, like how he doesnt have much money so he rarely gets to eat, and also didnt have a place to stay for a while (even though that was brief. I would’ve loved seeing Daytime scenes with him). He has almost a brother like relationship with Futaba Sakura, who i believe to be a well executed hermit character. For me, her backstory was very developed and believable for someone to shut themselves inside when they dont have all of the answers to a problem/life event that has become essentially the bane of their existence. Her social link developed her bond with Sojiro and shows of traits of herself through another person in a way that didnt completely focus on them instead of the person im hanging out with (*cough* Makoto *cough*)

Seriously though, I think all the characters were written well for the most part with only a few exceptions. Atlas really knows how to write their characters. Haru is actually one of my top picks for a favorite character because of how she was portrayed in having to deal with stress and how we kind of lead to the demise of her father. Though that was completely unavoidable as most things are in a supernatural franchise such as this. One last thing that urked me about the game was Akechi and how blatantly obvious the whole traitor aspect of his character was depicted. Atlas had it right with Adachi, making him one of my favorite characters in general and showing off a hopelessly Nihilistic perspective of the world when we as a player are seeing the world as happy and carefree. He didnt have a social link (until Golden), while Akechi did. The difference is that Akechi’s was progressed through story events while Adachi’s was an optional relationship that led you to learning more of his quirks earlier in the story. He could have been so much more but was thrown aside for a nameless “big bad” who we (as a player. Not the protagonist) have no relation too. I’ve seen discussions saying how Akechi could have been the one to have the River’s in the Desert battle, with a shadow realm showing his perspective of the world as a kingdom with him as the hero who protected everyone. He is the best in his own eyes and could not be defeated.

If there is one thing i hate in story telling, it is wasted potential. And Pancake Boy has a lot of that to spare. From the moment he blackmailed the Phantom Thieves to show them Nijima’s Palace (also with just how GOOD his moveset was), it made it so much more obvious he wouldn’t be a mainstay.

Those are my main comments with Persona 5, but they are mostly nitpicks compared to the grand scheme of things. I invested 200+ hours and two playthroughs into this game. My regular play through and a Fresh Merciless playthrough (with the help of a guide for 100% sake). I love this game to pieces and i wouldn’t be talking about it otherwise. Maybe there will be a P5Crimson Edition that adds more context to Akechi’s character and fixes problems other people have with the game. Maybe not. Who knows.

#Persona 5 #p5 #Persona 5 Spoilers #P5 Spoilers #goro akechi #ren amamiya #akira kusuru #ryuji sakamoto #ann takamaki #futaba sakura #haru okumura #yusuke kitagawa #morgana #atlas #NoksNonsense #Nonsensical-Rants

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