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skrunksthatwunk · 5 months

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yakuza: dead souls - american vibes, bigass guns, and why zombies are super weird to have in ryu ga gotoku thematically/ideologically speaking

so i've been playing dead souls recently (hell yeah hell yeah hell yeah) and although i'm having the time of my life with it, there was something about it that kinda felt off to me, and i think i've figured out what it was, but i'm gonna have to walk you through a bit of my thought process to get there.

my first instinct was that it felt... american? and upon further examination i think that boils down to a couple of things:

everyone suddenly has lots of guns and also way way bigger guns

high emphasis on individual heroism (this itself is quite typical for rgg, but it manifests differently here; more on that in a bit)

military/government incompetence, which must be solved by the right individuals having the biggest and bestest guns

[for the sake of transparency i will note that my experience with zombie media is pretty limited and skews american (and i myself am american), so that may create bias. however, the 'this feels american to me' instinct is a rare one for me even in genres where i have seen little/no non-american media, so i think the fact that it did occur to me is notable. what about dead souls triggered that response when little else has? that's why i examined it and, truthfully, i think there's merit in the idea itself.]

the first point is pretty self-explanatory. america's got more guns than it does people, and its gun worship is infamous. japan's ban on guns (aided by its being an island state) means there's far fewer guns in the country, as well as far fewer people with guns (and likely far fewer guns per gun owner, excepting arms dealers/smugglers) than somewhere without such a ban. obviously, there are guns anyway. due to their illegality they are clustered within the criminal population, which explains their presence within organized crime within the series. very few guns will be sitting around in the homes of otherwise law-abiding citizens.

and yet, when the zombie outbreak hits kamurocho, plenty of civilians suddenly have access to quite an arsenal. everyone has the knowledge they need to aim, fire, and reload smoothly and quickly; ammo is infinite for certain guns. characters we've never seen using firearms before suddenly have shotguns under their couches (looking at you, majima). it's not only very different from reality, it's very different from guns' place within the series up until this point, when they were limited weapons used primarily by the enemy.

and they're making a zombie shooter, so of course they would have to do this. it has to be unrealistic to be simultaneously in this setting and in this genre, in the same way that yakuza solving their problems with bareback fistfights instead of guns is itself both unrealistic and necessary to being the kinds of games rgg are.

my point is that this is a kind of focus on and valorization of gun ownership and competency unusual for the series and setting. further, it serves as an argument for why an armed, competent populace is crucial typical in american media.

which brings us to the third point (we'll get to 2 in a minute). guns are often marketed as self-defense weapons. the implication is that the government's defense of the individual (via law enforcement or the military, but particularly the former), are insufficient. this is objectively true. if someone pulls a gun on you at the gas station, will a cop manifest out of thin air to intercede? no. that's impossible. but if you have a gun, or if some bystander has a gun, you or they may be able to do something with that gun to stop the armed person. thus, there is an undeniable gap in the effective immediacy of such responses.

many gun advocates also point to the incompetence or insufficiency of law enforcement, even when they are present to stop an armed aggressor. the fact that law enforcement do not have a 100% success rate in protecting the citizenry is also objectively true.

so, when you are in danger, arming yourself increases your chances of being able to put down (or at least take armed action against) a present or potential threat. whether it is viewed it as a supplement to or a replacement for law enforcement, it is meant to make up for the shortcomings of the government's ability to completely protect all its citizens. it's a safety net for state failure.

back to dead souls. rgg has always centered political corruption in its stories, including politicians, the police, and sometimes even the military, though usually the former two. sometimes this is treated sympathetically (i.e. tanimura, a dirty cop, whose dirty-cop-ness allows him to work outside/against the law to help disadvantaged people, not unlike how kiryu views being a yakuza), and other times it's simply a matter of greed or lust for power (i.e. jingu).

however, something that's almost never touched on so clearly is government incompetence. when the government fails to help people or hurts them or does corrupt things, it's usually due to a competent, malicious bad apple who is removed from power by the end of the game. this implies holes in the system because it keeps happening all the time, but that's on a series-wide scale, a pattern ignored by the series in favor of the individual game solution of "this guy's gone now :) yay".

but in dead souls, the SDF's barracades fall, their men are killed, they are unable to help protect the people outside or inside the quarantine zone. they are weak in a way the government usually isn't in these games. and who is stronger than them? our individual good guys with guns. so we need to be armed because the government is weak and can't protect us. boom. america.

returning to point 2, i'd like to say that dead souls is not particularly more individualistic than any of the other games in the series (other than, perhaps, y7). rgg is an incredibly individualistic series, actually. its protagonists are usually men who defy, oppose, and skirt around the law as a way of helping others and doing what is truly right (with a few exceptions, like shinada and haruka). the romanticized view of the yakuza as a force for helping the community in the face of government incompetence is a real one, and one that tends to manifest itself most in kiryu and how the series treats him. it shows us yakuza who aren't willing to kill, yakuza who cry about honor and justice and humanity and brotherhood, yakuza who never dip their hands into less palatable crimes, or only do with intense regret (and only ever as part of their backstory). the beat-em-up style emphasizes this as well. i mean, what's more individualistic than a one-man army?

put more clearly, this series is about men defying legal and social laws and expectations to live in a way that feels right to them, and about making themselves strong enough to combat those who would get in their way. the individual is placed before the society in importance, (though generally in a way that benefits the community, because they are good guys who want to use that agency and power for good).

all of this is true in dead souls as well, technically. those who live on the outskirts of society are the ones who actually save the day, and the ones who go in there and save people rather than just walling them off and pretending like they don't exist. they have the guns, which are illegal and mark them as criminals, but this broken law is what gives them the power to save themselves when the government will not, and to save their community if they so choose.

where dead souls differs is in the nature of that strength.

rgg places a lot of emphasis on self-improvement, both of one's body and of one's character. do both of these, and you will be strong enough to back up your ambitions. what allows someone to carve their own path in life is the ability to put down ideological and physical resistance by having resolve and the ability to tiger drop whoever won't be swayed by your impassioned speeches. you make yourself a weapon. you make yourself strong. in dead souls, that strength comes from an external, material possession. strength is something you buy (or that you take from someone else). who is able to survive the apocalypse comes not from the heart, nor from rigorous training, but from who has the most, the biggest, and the most bestest guns. it's an intersection of capitalism, militarization, and individualism. simply, deeply american.

[when i was talking myself through this a few days ago, i spent a lot more time on the capitalism + individualism stuff, but i think i'll keep this moving. consider this aside the intermission]

dead souls also differs for a few other interlocking reasons. it can be described with this equation:

zombification of enemies + lethality of guns = loss of emphasis on redemption

if your best friend turned into a zombie, could you shoot them? or your child? or your lover? it's a common trope, but it's a damn good one. watching your family, your neighbors, your town, everyone turn into a husk of themselves, something that looks like them but cannot be reached, is deeply tragic. it's even more tragic when these husks are trying to kill you. unable to be reasoned with and unable to be cured, you must incapacitate them before someone innocent is hurt--or hurt, then themselves made dangerous; each loss adds to the number of threats surrounding you. your life is seen as more valuable than that of your zombified friend, not only because the zombie is attacking you and it's self defense, but because they are no longer a person to you. to be a zombie is to no longer be human; zombification is dehumanization.

and so in a series so focused on connection with one's community, on saving innocent civilians, often on saving kamurocho specifically, one would expect similar tropes to occur. even if one's friends aren't turned, perhaps the cashier at poppo you chat with sometimes is. it's the destruction of that community and of the members one has tertiary relationships with that i expect would occur most within a kamurocho zombie story, since they are likely unwilling to axe anyone more important than that, even if dead souls isn't canon. i'd especially expect to see that in the beginning, before the need to kill zombies rather than contain or redeem them becomes apparent.

this does not happen.

i cannot speak for the entire game, but i can speak of gameplay choices that affect this, and ones i think will not be subverted throughout, even if they are somewhat contradicted by plot events i am presently unaware of.

kamurocho is not a community to protect, nor is it filled with your fellows. it is a playground filled with infinitely respawning, infinitely mow-downable, infinitely disposable zombies. you are meant and encouraged to kill them by the thousands, and never to hesitate or consider whether they may be cured or who may be mourning them. who may be unable to identify their loved one because you were trying to reach a headshot goal from hasegawa. you are not meant to consider them as human, nor beings that were once human, nor beings that could be human again, in the eyes of the zombie shooter. they are merely bodies, targets, and obstacles.

the zombies are contrasted with the true humans, those barricading themselves within the quarantine zone or those living in ignorance outside it. humans are meant to be saved, zombies are meant to be killed. the player character is the only one who can truly help with either of these goals, because the other humans are cowardly, ignorant, or unarmed/helpless. you must be their savior. to be a savior is to eliminate zombies, who are less than human.

the black and white nature of this is also emphasized by another gameplay characteristic: the lack of street encounters. when you traverse the peaceful parts of kamurocho, you are never attacked. you are also never directly attacked by the humans within the quarantine zone. kamurocho feels very different without its muggers and hooligans, but it's because this is a zombie shooter, not a beat-em-up. in a normal rgg title, you'd subdue threats by punching, kicking, and throwing them. you'd use your body in (supposedly) nonlethal ways. dead souls does not have a combat system meant for civilians. you have your guns. you subdue threats by shooting them, preferably lethally. the game doesn't want you to do that to humans, so you never fight humans. this furthers the black and white divide between the salvation-worthy, noble humans and the death-worthy, worthless zombies. combat is only lethal, and only used against the inherent other.

this leads me to the part of dead souls i find most conflicting with the ethos of rgg broadly, and perhaps its greatest ideological/thematic failing.

because the enemy are incurable, dangerous, and inhuman, you must kill them to protect yourself and others, others who are still human. humanity is something that is lost or preserved, but never regained. once someone's gone, they're gone, and you not only must kill them, it is your duty and your right to kill them. you should kill them.

in dead souls, there is no redeeming the enemy.

and that's a big problem.

rgg is about a lot of things, but a key one is the ability of people to change for the better. its most memorable, beloved villains are those who see the light by the end and change their wicked ways (usually through some form of redemptive suicide, though that's another essay in itself). its pantheon of characters is full of those who come from questionable backgrounds struggling to be the best people they can be, to live as themselves authentically and compassionately. it's about the good and the love you can find in the moral and legal gray zones of life/society, and the potential/capacity for good all of us have, no matter how far we may have fallen. it is a hopeful series. it is a merciful series.

this is something bolstered by its gameplay. countless substories are resolved by punching a lesson into someone until they improve their behavior, either out of fear or genuine remorse/development. the games don't just discourage killing your enemies, they don't allow you to (yes, we've all seen the "kiryu hasn't killed anybody? umm. look at this heat action" stuff before, and while they've got a point, i believe it's the narrative's intent that none of this is actually lethal, based on how laxly it treats certain plot injuries (cough cough. y7 bartender) and the actual concept of taking a life, the gravity it is given by the text, particularly when it comes to characters crossing that threshold into someone who has killed. explicit killing is not an option open to you, even when you're being attacked by dozens and dozens of armed men. conflicts are resolved by simply beating up enough guys in this nonlethal manner.

but dead souls is a shooter. to avoid conflict with the series' moral qualms about letting its characters kill, the enemies cannot be human. furthermore, the zombie shooter genre can only fit within the series if its zombies are completely inhuman. this means their pasts as humans cannot be acknowledged, nor the possibility of a cure, nor the characters' own potential conflicts about killing them; or, at least, not in a way that impedes their or the player's ability to gun them down afterwards.

if you can't kill humans in your series, then it cannot be possible to save (in this case, rehumanize) zombies. this is especially true in a game where you are unable to fight humans, and thus human lives are universally more valuable than zombie lives. because if you kill a zombie that can be cured, you are, in a way, killing a human.

and so, in a series where you should always assume your enemies (and everyone, for that matter) are capable of reason, compassion, change, and redemption, and where they are always worth that effort, even if they reject it in the end, dead souls' enemies are irredeemable and only worth swift, stylish slaughter. there are only good guys and bad guys. good guys must be protected, lest they be turned irreversibly into bad guys. good guys are only protected by killing bad guys, and the only way to save good guys is to kill every last one of the bad guys. do not spare them, and do not ask whether or not it's right. only kill.

i love dead souls. it's a silly game. i like seeing daigo in decoy-drag and majima gleefully cartwheeling his way through zombies and ryuji with his giant gun arm prosthetic. it's fun. but when i was trying to figure out what felt off about it to me, one of the words that came to mind (besides american) was indulgent. that, too, felt odd, because i love indulgent media. i am not one to scorn decadent, hedonistic, beautiful high-calorie slop type media. if dead souls was just fan servicey, that wouldn't really bother me. i am a fan and boy do i feel serviced. it rocks. but i think my problem is in what dead souls is indulging.

i think dead souls indulges in the desire to cut loose, and to see these characters cut loose. thing is, they're cutting loose all over kamurocho, and all over the bodies of people they used to (at least in concept) care for. with lethal weapons. it is catharsis via bloodbath, not by pushing your body and mind to the limit in man to man combat, but by pulling a trigger before the other guy can hurt you, or even think about hurting you, for the crime of existing as the wrong kind of thing.

and i just don't think that's in line with rgg's beliefs.

yes, it's probably fair for dead souls' characters to kill zombies. i'm not against that. i'm also not against games letting you do purposeless violence. i spent a good amount of my elementary school years killing oblivion npcs for shits, like. that's not what bothers me about dead souls.

rgg as a series has always taken a hard stance in both its game design and narrative choices against killing and for the potential for redemption in its enemies. and i think the lengths to which it goes to promote that despite the probably-lethal moves you do and the improbability of a harmless do-gooder yakuza is one of the most endearing things about the games. so for this one entry to disregard that key theme for the sake of a genre shift that flopped super hard, well? i dunno. it feels weird i guess. it's out of place not just because it's a dramatic shift in gameplay and style and also zombies are only a thing here (and the supernatural/fantastical are thus only prominent here), but because of what those shifts imply.

so, uh. yeah. my pre-dead-souls thoughts that dead souls wasn't that out of pocket bc rgg's just kinda weird? turns out it was actually super weird to have a zombie shooter in there, but for way way deeper reasons than anyone gives it credit for.

(footnotes in tags)

#1) i deemphasized the physicality of shooting to emphasize my points about the viscerality and personal nature of rgg #brawls and the colder more detached nature of gun use relative to that but i do NOT mean that shooting has no physical component to it #obviously it takes a lot of skill to shoot quickly and accurately and lugging a bigass gun around kamurocho would tucker me out for sure #2) no i don't think all those things i said were american were usa-exclusive. it's a big world out there. i'm just saying those things #combined feel like a particularly american flavor of thing to me #3) there's probably more to be said about the connection between wanton killing and american styling or anti-immigration theming in zombie #stories or dead souls But i figured that was a bit too disconnected to the funny zombie game. this shit was a lot anyway y'know?#4) also i don't think most of this was intentional on the part of rgg studios. i genuinely think they just wanted to make a fun zombie #shooter and didnt really think about it all that hard. whenever you make smth there's gonna be implications you never considered. it happen #5) is it ballsy to write a giant essay on a game i'm like 1/4 the way through? yes. i've done smarter things. i'll revisit it when im done #if i'm wrong then i'll figure it out probably. but like. i don't think they'd set up the hasegawa objective stuff or have akiyama just #unflinchingly start shooting zombies and then later challenge that. we'll see but my hopes aren't high y'know? i know rgg #6) i should also clarify that violent catharsis is a) a part of all rgg games and b) cool as hell. it's the lethal bit that doesn't fit with #the series y'know?#rgg #ryu ga gotoku #yakuza #like a dragon #yakuza dead souls #dead souls #classic skrunk 4 hr middle of the night impulse essay hooorayy

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bogkeep · 1 month

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Would you recommend the SSSS comic? I know little of it beside the very beautiful artstyle and premise

to answer the question of if i would recommend SSSS as a comic: yes, yes i would.

a description for those who don't know: Stand Still Stay Silent is a post-apocalyptic horror + adventure webcomic set in the nordics (norway, sweden, denmark, finland, iceland) that have been isolated from the rest of the world and gone back to their old gods. the the world outside of safe zones is full of trolls and beasts - humans and mammals that got infected by a horrible virus and turned into monsters. the story follows a ragtag crew that ventures into the old world (derelict denmark) on an expedition to collect books.

the comic updated every workday until it concluded in 2022, and consists of two Adventures. the creator had plans for many adventures with these characters in this world, but ended it after two when she wanted to take a new direction with her life.

what i love about it:

- the art is GORGEOUS. it's been a huge source of inspiration for me. open any page and it's a masterpiece, and you will ask yourself "how the FUCK did she update this FIVE DAYS A WEEK"

- the characters are wonderful and endearing. i just, i love them so much. i am so thankful lalli hotakainen exists he is one of my #1 blorbos forever

- the world is so cool. the blend of chunky sci-fi and norse mythology fantasy magic slaps. it goes so hard. i fell so hard for this comic when i got to the big ferry ship with a viking style dragon head prow added to it. it's everything

- it really really gets nordic cultures. it's difficult to explain all the dynamics and nuances but it just gets it. it brings me as a scandinavian a lot of joy to read a story that speaks to my heart this way. the attitudes, the language barriers, the cultural differences... it was so refreshing to me in a media landscape dominated by american stories. when the pandemic hit, i decided to reread the comic because i found such an odd comfort in seeing how it depicted the scandinavian countries reacting to, well, a pandemic.

- there's kittycats

what i don't like about it:

- the most glaring and obvious flaw is that everyone in the comic is white. there's not a single character of color anywhere, not even i background shots or the prologue. there's no mention of the saami people (the indigenous people of northern europe), either. i believe this was done in ignorance more than malicious intent, but the implications are Extremely Bad and it's been bothering me (AND MANY OTHERS) since day 1. that is the number one caveat i will give to anyone wanting to check this comic out. i've been in the discourse trenches and i am not going to excuse this. it's just bad!

- you can tell in the middle of adventure 2 that the creator has kind of lost interest in the work, around the time when she found jesus i guess. like, very few people can keep up work on the same creative project for years and years and years and i think it's fine that she wanted to drop it, but it's a bit sad to see the comic dragged to its end like a limp corpse, and feeling like the creator no longer really cares about the characters.

- minna sundberg has said and done some questionable things, presumably gotten somewhat radicalised over time, and has also converted to hardcore christianity which is what her new works are about. there's nothing about this in SSSS - there is a moment of christianity represented in the story in a sort of mythological sense, just like the other religions, but this was written before minna's conversion. her new works... are a Choice. i have much to say about them, and i have, and im not gonna rehash it now.

SO YEAH hopefully this will help you take an Informed Choice! i got into this comic in 2015 and was deep in the fandom and it's for better or for worse part of my soul foundation now.

i also recommend A Redtail's Dream, minna's "practice comic" before SSSS, based on finnish mythology and the kalevala.

#stand still stay silent #might as well tag this if i wanna dig it up later

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sun-stricken · 20 days

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Hello! On the 19th of December 2023 you said in a tag that you ought to make a gray and gajeel hc list. I’m here to also ask you for that because you have a lot of wonderful headcanons and yeah <3

(also sorry for coming across as demanding or rude or anything, you seem very cool and tbh I’m interested in your ideas just sorta in general, idk how exactly to express that while also kinda asking for something so. Apologies for that, and no pressure to respond to this)

ngl u scared me by pulling out reciepts

thus literally took two months and its so short and i have my excuses but please just take it

the post they and i refrence is this one (i think)

* their friendship goes from cordial to feral in two seconds

* They work fairy decent together, but they prefer to do their own thing if they get paired for smth

* Fairy Tail has a very mutual distaste fpr the magic council, after the guild finally got back together (after Gray and Gajeel stopped ‘working ‘ for avatar and the council respectively), Gray would often tease him by treating him as if Gajeel still was with the council

* “Oh shit!! Move its the opps!” “you think ur so fuckin funny, dont you” “i dont know what youre talking about, sir officer sir”

* Gray yells at Gajeel and Levy to get a room anytime they do absolutely anything with each other

* Slayers (dragon, god, demon, etc) always grow fangs and watching it happen is like watching a baby teething, but it usually happens early on (within a few years of learning) so one of ft first times witnessing it was Gray (and Laxus but this aint abt him)

* He would grind his teeth or bite various items bc the pressure felt good

* but yk what wasnt good?? the fucking sound, also it was damaging his teeth

* so Gajeel, the generous soul he clearly is, let him bite his arm so he would stop

* it worked, Gray did stop grinding his teeth but the sound was no better, and now Gajeel is constantly cold and gets no personal space at the guild for weeks

* They agree with each other and have a fair amount of the same hobbies and interests (and shops they go to) and it both pisses them off and weirds them out to no end (“is this guy stalking me rn?? wtf is going ON”)

* They originally bonded over their mutual rivalry with Natsu

* “what a dumbass” “im gonna punch him” *sound of friendship forming*

#THIS IS SHORT BY MY STANDARDS BUT I WANTED TO FINALLY GIVE U IT #so sorry anon ill treat u better next time #fairy tail #gray fullbuster #gajeel redfox #sun strickens ft #levy mcgarden #natsu dragneel #fairy tail headcanons #fairy tail incorrect quotes #they are reluctant friends ngl #gray and gajeel hcs #fairy tail slayers #they slay your honor #gray treating gajeel like a cop/council member is so funny to me #u dont understand #sun stricken answers

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dreamfyre03 · 3 months

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A Dragon's Love

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of injuries, alcohol consumption

Chapter 3: Hideaways and Motivations

the weeks that followed his accident, Aemond refused to let anyone see him but his mother, and his half sister Daenys. He could not even bear to let dear Helaena see him, for he knew she was soft of heart and probably couldn’t stomach the sight of him anymore. He stayed in his chambers, being attended to by an army of maesters and nurses, but he would only let Daenys touch him for long, wiping his skin clean, or to cool it, changing his bandages as the maester showed her, she was the only one who he felt any sense of ease with. As he remained locked in the dark, gloomy chambers that mirrored the growing spot of black now etched onto his soul, his sister was his shining light in through it all.

His mother had just bid him goodnight, and he laid in his bed, alone, but he couldn’t sleep. He barely slept since that night, always dreaming the same nightmare, a blade cutting through his eye, the blood, the pain, and half his vision going black. The moonlight poured in through his windows, and he shifted in discomfort, unable to lie in any other way except on his back, due to his injury.

Suddenly he heard the door creak open, and a head of cascading long silver hair poked in. “You’re awake, aren’t you brother?” She whispered. “I can’t sleep.” He sighed, looking at her as she slipped in and shut the door behind her.

“I’m sorry I was away for so long. Helaena was particularly inconsolable this afternoon, after your mother informed her of the date for her and Aegon’s wedding.” She explained as she climbed up next to him.

He sat up, trying to hide his struggle to do so, but she saw, and helped him up gently. “When?”

“Five months’ time.”

Poor Helaena. She didn’t deserve to be shackled to his foolish brother in marriage. “Aegon said he’d have preferred to marry you, not Helaena.” Aemond told her, but she just nodded as if she already knew. “I know. He told me when they were first betrothed, and I told him even though he and Helaena might not have a lot in common, once they have children to satisfy your mother, they can just live as brother and sister again, as I’m sure Helaena would prefer.” “Do you want to marry Aegon?” She laughed softly, shaking her head. “I love our dear brother, but I’m afraid I might drive him madder than Helaena. At least she’ll turn a blind eye to his more depraved ventures, I’m afraid I wouldn’t stand for it.” She said. “You deserve someone that would be eternally loyal to you, sister, and love you with all he has.” Aemond said quietly, shocking himself, for he had never voiced such things to her before. She sighed, absentmindedly combing his stray hairs back into place with her fingers. “That sounds lovely, sweet boy, but I suppose such things are only found in stories. I’ll have no choice in who I marry, but I will pray at least for someone who honours his marriage vows, and me.” Aemond, the young boy he was, didn’t fully comprehend the extent of what he was beginning to feel for his sister, something so strong, and overpowering, he had no idea it was no fleeting feeling, but it would follow him for the rest of his life, for better or for worse.

“How is the pain?” She asked. “The milk of the poppy helps. I long for the day when this scar is nothing but a scar, and I no longer feel this plaguing throbbing pain in my head.” He said.

She nodded, listening intently.

They sat in silence for a while again, until Aemond spotted his sword in the corner, a real sword, that he never got to wield yet, for his was still training with wooden ones in the courtyard. He wondered if he would ever wield a real sword.

“I’ll never become a swordsman, I’ll never be able to do anything for this family. I am already a second son, I might have at least married for the family’s benefit, but now, not a maiden in the land will come near me.” He confided sadly.

She sat sharply, turning to face him, and spoke clearly, and almost sternly. “Stop this self pitying, Aemond. I won’t have it. Your situation will make it harder, yes, but it does not change what you can achieve, what you can become. It matters not what any of them think of you. You are a prince, you are the blood of the dragon. You are the rider of the largest dragon in the world. If you want to become the realm’s greatest swordsman, then you shall. If you want to become a great scholar, then you shall. You do not deserve what happened to you, but you will not let it define you. Find something, anything to motivate you, and use it.” He was surprised, he had never heard his sister speak in such a manner, but he saw it for the first time, the dragonfire within her, as she spoke with such passion. About him.

But he realised she was right. He wouldn’t let his bastard nephews get the last laugh, and change the course of what he could be.

That night, as she softly sang to him, in words of High Valyrian only they would understand, Aemond decided on the two things that would motivate him, that would push him to exceed all their expectations that night. The first, getting vengeance for his eye, making sure little Luke paid his debt. The second, was the girl lying in bed next to him, who helped him find peaceful sleep for the first time in weeks.

“You’ve been indispensable in caring for Aemond, my dear. I am most grateful.” Queen Alicent said to Daenys, as they took tea together in her solar. Helaena sat not too far off, reading a book about some rare beetle or butterfly.

“It is no bother to me, Your Grace. He is my brother, and I only wish to do what I can to help.” She replied. The Queen smiled tiredly, but genuinely at her. “Is something the matter, Your Grace?” Daenys enquired.

Alicent sighed. “I’m afraid something always is, my dear. Your father’s worsening health, your sister’s recent marriage. There is always another challenge that the gods throw our way to strengthen us, I’m afraid.” “Has father gotten worse?”

“As of now, no, but the maesters see no improvements.” Alicent replied, sipping her tea. Daenys was saddened by her father’s worsening health. Perhaps if he were in better health, better spirits, they might have been able to have any relationship, but alas, she, just like her half siblings, were invisible to him much of the time. To Daenys, it felt like her father only ever saw Rhaenyra.

“I’ve heard from Rhaenyra. I received a raven, from Dragonstone this morning.” She told her. The Queen looked at her expectantly, and Daenys hesitated before pulling the parchment out from the pocket of her riding leathers. Before she could continue, the Hand entered, and greeted them both. “Father, Daenys has just told me she’s received word from Rhaenyra.” She told him.

Otto Hightower, always a scheming, slippery man for as long as Daenys had know him, looked at her in interest, a rare thing, and said, “Indeed?’ As he sat down with them. Daenys sighed, feeling the familiar feeling of hurt she felt when she read the words this morning. “I wrote to her, to extend my best wishes to her and Prince Daemon, on their marriage. It was months ago, and I’ve just received a reply this morning. Her words…were not of the kindest variety.” She told them. She unfolded the parchment and read the message aloud;

Princess Daenys,

Your best wishes are acknowledged by me and my husband. As you may have heard, we plan to reside on Dragonstone for the foreseeable future. I worry not for you, as I’m sure you are as happy as you’ve always been, under the Hightower Queen’s watch and protection. I did not forget, sister, the way you ran so readily to Prince Aemond, after he slandered my sons, and attacked them maliciously. We might share the blood of our father and mother, but it appears that your blood is just as Hightower green as the rest of my half-siblings. I only hope that in the midst of your obvious loyalties, that you look out for our father, as I’m sure the Queen and the Hand continue to sink their poisonous claws deeper into him. It is the least you can do.

-Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone.

Daenys looked up from the parchment, to see the Hand’s unreadable expression, and Alicent, whose face was a mix of fury and sadness.

Daenys felt tears brimming her eyes once again, and wiped them hastily, cursing her fragile heart once again.

“The Princess is in no position to speak on who influences the king, she hides on Dragonstone and abandons her role in the King’s court as heir. No doubt in an attempt to keep her bastard sons safe.” The Hand finally said.

Alicent nodded in agreement with her father, before reaching out to touched Daenys’s hand and say, “I am sorry she spoke to cruelly, to you, my child. You are undeserving of such words, just as she has always been undeserving of your kindness.” Daenys forced a smile and nodded, knowing that the Queen wasn’t wasn’t always the of the kindest temperament, and appreciated her kindness all the more.

She soon left the Queen and the Hand to discuss their politics, and she walked Helaena to their rooms, and left her there, to be in peace with her bugs, she continued to walk the Keep, until she bumped into Aegon.

“Is something wrong, sister?” Aegon asked as he noted the redness of her eyes from her earlier crying. She shook her head, smoothening the leather in her riding clothes, and noticing two jugs of wine in his hands.

“And pray tell, what scheme are you up to this time, brother?” She asked him with an amused smile.

Aegon grinned and said, “My sweet sister, aren’t I always the image of discipline and grace?” They both snorted in laugher, and she walked with him through the halls.

“I’ve something to show you. But you mustn’t tell anyone, or show them. Do you promise?” He asked, knowing that she was lying about something being the matter, and wanting to make her feel better, as she had done for him countless times, whether it be helping him with a nasty hangover, or consoling him after his mother was particularly brutal.

“Of course.” She replied, and he took her by the hand and led her through the secret passages they were traversing since they were children.

“I know of the passages, Aegon, lest you forget, I’m the one who showed them to you.” She said as he pulled her along. He simply rolled his eyes and scoffed affectionately until they reached to the apparent destination, and Aegon bent down and lifted a hidden notch, causing the wall to slide open.

He pulled her in with him, and the walls closed behind them, as she looked at the room in wonder. “I’ve never seen this room before,” she whispered, taking in the shelves that went up to the ceiling, filled with books, the desk and chair, and the long settee, all of which looked decades old. There were also blankets, empty wine bottles, and other nick nacks that clearly belonged to Aegon.

“That’s because no one knows about it. It’s completely within the walls, this is the only way to enter. I found it one night, utterly drunk of course, and since then, I’ve claimed it as my secret hideaway. And now it’s yours.” He shared, as he sat on the floor, after lighting the candles.

“It’s lovely. Rather dusty, but we can fix that. And look at all the books! Most of these titles I’ve never seen in the Royal Library.” She exclaimed, pulling out a book and brushing her fingers over the old, dusty, leather bound cover.

“Of course that’s what would excite you,” he shook his head affectionately as he took a swig of wine. “It’s all in High Valyrian, so it’s a bit of a headache to read.”

She rolled her eyes, knowing that Aegon was never quite interested in their lessons, and wasn’t as fluent in their mother tongue as her and Aemond, or even Helaena, knowing enough to be able to communicate with his beloved beast, Sunfyre.

“Thank you for sharing this with me Aegon.” She said as she sat next to him, a book in hand.

He shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t mind the company, and I suppose you’re the only one that doesn’t despise me, so.”

“No one despises you, Aegon.” She leaned on him playfully.

“Mother does, grandfather, but it matters not, I suppose. You don’t mind me, so I’m content.” He said.

Daenys shook her head, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to convince him otherwise, but glad that he at least felt like one person cared about him.

So she and Aegon spent the rest of the evening, in their secret room, Aegon getting lost in wine, and Daenys lost in a plethora of books.

#aemond targaryen #aemond fanfiction #aemond one eye #aemond smut #aemond x oc #aemond fic #aemond #prince aemond #prince aemond targaryen #hotd aemond #house of the dragon #aegon ii #helaena targaryen #hotd #hotd fanfic #alicent hightower

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afklancelot · 9 months

Note

Are you able to explain without heavy spoilers why Melusine is the best?

hooo boy that’s gonna be hard and pretty long. ill try to be as coherent as possible in explainin why i like her so much

well for starters, melusine is really fucking cool. i assume you are at least aware of her battle animations, but theyre good. her first and second animation has her alternating between punching, slashing, and both to beat up her foes, and the sound effects and graphics really shows how strong she is. special mention goes to one of her extra attack lines going “Haaaaaaaaa, BUNKAHHHH!” her VA put her soul into that line.

this dont even cover her third ascension’s animations. that’s where her dragon part comes out, and i fuckin love dragons. she slashes, she chomps, her extra attack animation is as good as Arjuna Alter’s, if not more. and her NP having her flying through Fae Britain’s twilight sky and fully transforming into her dragon form… good shit.

and her being able to change from first/second asc to third asc w her skill is insane, and the fact her np changed from Arts ST to Buster AoE was a huge game changer. the only other servant who does something like that is Jekyll and Hyde (who sucks gameplay wise. sorry man).

not to mention i love her ascension art. the first asc having her in full armor, and her second having a pretty dress befitting of a lady knight (or maybe even a princess?), and both of them having those big ass sword sheathes on her wrists and mask costumes for them. i love characters with masks covering at least part of their face, and im real glad theyre costumes for her. her third ascension is also cool too, with the big swords and the black wings on her. for me it’s second asc > first asc > third asc

another thing bout her is that melusine… is a huge dork. like i said, her VA did good work at portraying a refined knight who is actually pretty expressive underneath. you see it even more in her summer form but even her tam lin/fairy knight version she was always Like That. her first asc’s line for your birthday is her being despondent over guda being busy and then deciding to destroy Chaldea. melusine said fuck work

and to say nothin bout her… expressions

one of the only minor complaints i hav w her summer form is the lack of scribbles in her expression, but ah well. we have this

as for her story in the lostbelt… i dont really know how to explain how much i love it bc a lot of it is only really shown in parts 2 and 3, but her relationship with Aurora and Percival were handled really well. you have to get to reading the lostbelts to really understand her character and shit like that. her very last scene of her (and aurora i guess) makes me real emotional

so yeah

#fgo #fate grand order #thanks for the ask! i like talkin bout things when ppl ask #melusine #she’s just real cool and a dork at the same time #those two personality traits can coexist together #sorry for the awkward ending i dont know shit bout ending real long posts effectively

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yamcha-thelonewolf · 6 months

Text

🩹The three wounds.

Although there are many things to say about Yamcha, today my attention goes to one of the most curious topics about him: the scars.

Dragon Ball, ch. 166, The Reunion.

This is the first image of our good ol' Yamcha with his new look and... I really have to admit it: while I loved so much his so many pre-23rd Tenkaichi Tournament styles, I cannot deny that the Yamcha we see at the end of OG Dragon Ball and throughout DBZ gains a stratospheric appeal. His more mature face and the triumphant return of his long hair, here tied back in a cool ponytail, make a big impression for sure, but it's certainly his two new facial markings that especially make the difference.

Let's say it together: Yamcha is the pretty boy of the gang. He's got flowing black hair, he has lots of charisma, a strong sense of humor, and on top of that, he's got grazy techniques that visually tear apart more famous ones. Sounds just like... A wasted character, doesn't it? As I said before, that is not the question I want to address today. So...

...How did Yamcha get his scars?

I'm not quite sure if there is an official explanation on this, and if there is I apologize for my lack of one. In any case, I'd like to lay out my personal theory. Actually it's not a big deal at all, it is not a fanciful story that I made up to enrich Yamcha's life. It is simply the result of a logical evaluation and a long, long observation in the field.

As we know, at the end of The Great Demon King Piccolo Arc, Yamcha and others start to train hard for three long years in preparation for the new budokai.

We don't know exactly how our heroes trained, whether they spent time together, and specifically whether Yamcha returned to the city occasionally to be with Bulma and Puar, but from his girlfriend's words we can assume that he only devoted himself to training.

This is not the first time he has done it. Fortunately! In fact, in the 21th Tournament Arc, we can see him away from the city, moving through the woods like a real wolf to enhance even more of his most famous technique, the Rōgafūfūken. Then, when the Red Ribbon adventure ends, Yamcha notices how Goku's strength has increased overwhelmingly, so he decides to move to the Kame House to become a full-fledged pupil of the Turtle School. In this case, Bulma visited him whenever she could (or wanted to), but this time is different. Yamcha now carries with him two major defeats in the quarterfinals, plus a strong sense of helplessness during the The Great Demon King Piccolo Arc because of his broken leg. He cannot and will not stay in the shadows again and again, although we could not help but appreciate his every effort. That is why this time it is necessary for him to make his mark in the martial arts world. And indeed Yamcha succeeds.

Although he loses again in the quarterfinals, the twist he gives us is one of the most beautiful of the whole tournament.

His new technique, the Sōkidan, leaves even God himself speechless. I will undoubtedly talk about this wonderful move on another occasion. Right now what I want to point out is simply the lethal effect this has on the opponent.

As we can see, the Sōkidan is an extremely elegant and elaborate technique that can destroy, stun and distract the opponent depending on the will of the user. Unfortunately, we don't see it often, but thanks to DBZ fillers, some movies and the videogames we can get an idea of how devastating it can be.

Requiring full ki control, consequently this maneuverable ball suggests how extremely difficult it is to handle.

Now let's go back again and let's try to imagine a Yamcha who is tired of losing and wants to amaze everyone in the next Budokai. So let's try to imagine a Yamcha who returns to the woods, sits down by a lake, under the moon, and somewhat like Tien does, whom he has come to know and esteem until then, he too begins to focus and finally explore his own soul until then only devoted to the teenage love with Bulma and those little big satisfactions in his various fights. After all, he has always been one of the strongest. We must not forget that before the tournaments there are the preliminaries.

Anyway, we are still in the woods. Yamcha has opened the palm of his hand and slowly the night seems less dark as a small and seemingly harmless orb begins to float by his concentration. Maybe he is on the right track. A small grin appears on his face... After all, he has always been a bit of a swagger and that is also why we like him. But then, I don't know whether that same night or in the following days, this still somewhat wild sphere goes out of his control. It literally gets out of his hands, and although it is sad to think about, it turns on him and crashes right into his face, cutting him twice: on his right eye and on his left cheek. Of course, not in an overly direct way. I imagine more of a smear wound, or something like that, just like what happens to the mysterious Shen.

In this scene, Yamcha certainly has much more mastery, but I have no doubt that during his solitary training he had a hard time precisely because of the dangerousness of this technique that requires significant spiritual control.

Finally, one last detail I would like to dwell on is the reaction Yamcha must have had at the sight of his new face. Throughout the story, he has never hidden the fact that he is quite vain and conscious of his own beauty. And how can you blame him?! Well, the first time we see him despairing over his poor ruined face is when Goku knocks his tooth out. We are at the beginning of our great Akira Toriyama-signed adventure.

Here Yamcha was a lonely 16-year-old boy who was afraid of beautiful girls. A terrible curse since his greatest desire was (is) to get married. I assume that seeing himself ugly after losing his tooth must have only heightened his frustration! Instead, when he gets the two scars, Yamcha's age ranges from twenty to twenty-three. He has grown, he has changed, he has a girlfriend and even a fanclub, but most importantly he has greater self-awareness. In my humble opinion, he has not despaired so much. Not like a drama queen, at least. After all, if it is true that it was the Sōkidan that ruined his manly face, his new consciousness must surely have suggested to him that it was worth it. In the bottom of my heart I hope he has also realized that he has increased not only his power but also his sex appeal... but hey! that is my very personal opinion. 😸

So, this is what I have always thought, or rather, what I like to think about the origin of his scars. Many assume that it was the clash with some wolves, and even this is interesting, but I don't think that with the power level he reached he could be bitten so easily by an animal he knows so well... For me, it was its own strength. It suits his will to persist even at the cost of losing his life.

You know, I'm sadly happy that it's him who has the scarred face. I really don't know but... Something tells me that if his face hadn't had those two marks, Yamcha would have been even further forgotten. I can't explain it but I feel like it's like this.

However, gettin those scars must have been painful, I realize, but after all... Yamcha is someone who lives with pain all the time. That's why the title of this topic refers to three wounds, not two. In the end... We all agree that Yamcha's biggest scar is in his heart, right?

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utilitycaster · 1 year

Text

Wizard Breakdown Tracker: Mighty Nein Reunited, Part 2

Gather ye wizards while ye may, though with the return to Campaign 3, we are finally headed to Yios, where there are wizards, once we finish with the Gloomed Jungles, where there are were-creatures, which are also very cool. The hierarchy is, as always: paladins; wizards; were-creatures; literally everyone else; dhampyrs, kalashtar, changelings, and "hey DM, can I play a tiefling bard with intelligence 7". But I digress.

Ludinus Da'leth: So at this point (ie, shortly post-this episode), Caleb, known bridge between the Cerberus Assembly and the Cobalt Soul, has taken a job at the Soltryce Academy, which means any efforts to make a new, slightly more palatable volstrucker program and quietly keep it from Archmage Becke are going to go straight out the window. The walls are closing in, and he doesn't even know that Jester can go to the Feywild. 7/10.

Astrid Becke: Caleb listened and took the job! That's one success in what's got to be a thankless new position in many ways. Also I still really want to know who the hell has become Archmage of Antiquity, or if the Assembly just writes that one off as "make a deal to bring back a powerful Age of Arcanum entity and raise it to godhood once, shame on you; make a deal to bring back an powerful Age of Arcanum entity and raise it to godhood twice, shame on us and also what the fuck are we going to do with two nickels in a society that uses gold, silver, and copper currency." 3/10; Astrid's doing better than she ever has in this tracker, and good for her.

Eadwulf Grieve: Caleb is still keeping him in mind, which is good, because he really is like...look, he's a wizard, so he's not dumb muscle, but compared to his two former lovers he's very clearly the 'And Peggy' of the bunch. On the other hand this means he's probably just organizing the Temple of the Raven Queen Yulisen Night Potlucks and inventing the Exandrian equivalent of Minnesota Hot Dish or something. 0/10.

Yussa Errenis: Is aware of the storm on the horizon. Is chilling in his tower. Is largely unbothered. Other people pointed out that while he has developed a reputation for fucking around and finding out, he has also technically never physically left his tower to do so, which is honestly impressive, but does explain why Beau did not have to bamf out a partially dissolved old wizard when she ended up in Uk'otoa's gullet. Anyway, glad he's keeping up with Caleb and making potions. 3/10, for being aware of the storm.

Allura Vysoren, whose name I keep misspelling: Yasha did give Kima back the sword, and Caleb doesn't seem to have her staff, and she helped make a new, cooler sword! 2/10 for League of Miracles reasons only.

Essek Thelyss: Still under a lot of political pressure, regardless of where he is...but he's also getting, as Figueroth Faeth would say, his kisses in, so better than I expected! 5/10.

Caleb Widogast: So here's the thing. It is, as the other post said, about the green beans. And it is, as my last iteration of this said, not time for deep Caleb meta in here. But I do have a lot of thoughts about the similarities between Caleb and Fjord, as I always do, and about how neither of them really had much of an understand of what happens in their life past That One Big Thing They Need To Do, having already woken up at some point and been like *Mitski voice* I used to think I'd be done by 20. I do feel that the Caleb Widogast of part 1 of this two-shot was truly a Caleb Widogast who could go either way re: the T-Dock usage, and the Caleb Widogast of part 2 of this two-shot is not; the event has not (in my understanding, at least) occurred but the decision has unconsciously been made. Also he's dating Essek and he gets to have Dragon Time, which sounds like Floor Time but better. He does get a 4/10 though, because he takes it upon himself to become the Mighty Nein's Social Event Coordinator. As someone who just had to cancel a carefully scheduled D&D session for tonight because I am sick but also the DM and if I have to talk for 2 hours while simultaneously using my brain I will cry, this is very stressful.

Veth Brenatto: Camp's going great! Only one kid died, and not permanently! 1/10.

Known Gem Wizard Hotsauce Lutefisk: Oh so the demigod leviathan CALAMITY SNAKE gets released from its prison beneath the sea, three seals in three temples broken in under 18 months, and yet, I, Halas Lutagran,

Bonus!

Warlock Breakdown Tracker

Fjord: For real? Who knows. I personally imagine that it does, as they say, briefly go to 11, because though Uk'otoa is dealt with and Zehir seems to have understandably gone "you are way too interested in love and the ocean for me to give a shit, I'm going back to bed", Fjord (not unlike Caleb) has to sit with the fact that he's done with that and he's happy OH GOD HE'S HAPPY WHAT THE FUCK DOES HE DO WITH THIS. Also he has to deal with the orphanage, which is going to be traumatic and unpleasant for sure, plus you know someone named "Grankton" is going to be holding a massive grudge against the world at large. But with time, it settles back down somewhere more reasonable, only to briefly spike and resolve again during Kingsley's little maneuver. So you know. Some numbers, probably.

#critical role #critical role spoilers #wizard breakdown tracker

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kaibutsushidousha · 5 months

Note

Who are the Twelve Golden Immortals that Taigong keeps mentioning? Are they his superiors?

The Investiture of the Gods has Taigong Wang as the Taoist currently studying under Yuanshi Tianzun and the Twelve Golden Immortals as the 12 disciples who already graduated under Yuanshi Tianzun before Taigong and are full-fledged Xians by the time of the Investiture (the 1100s BC). Not all of them are particularly relevant characters, be it in the actual Investiture or in Houshin Engi.

1) Taiyi Zhenren

About as minor of a character as any of the 12 in the myth, but easily the one with the most screentime in Houshin Engi. Taiyi's main contribution to Taigong's cause was creating the Soul Jewel, which he put inside Li Shi and Li Jing's stillborn baby, allowing Li Nezha to come to life as a living weapon you know from FGO. After Nezha's suicide, Taiyi also arranged Nezha's revival, so he's who FGO blames for Nezha's unfortunate genderbend. Once Nezha is back to life and learns what his father did to his grave, Nezha goes to beat the shit out of his dad, but Taiyi intervenes, capturing Nezha in the Nine-Dragons Divine Fire Basket so he can give him a proper Taoist education and giving Li Jing the means to fight back if Nezha attacks him again (remember that Li Jing is Bishamonten, so the weapon that Taiyi gave him here is actually the pair of towers Kagetora uses on her 3rd Ascension).

2) Yuding Zhenren

Yang Jian's mentor (doubles as Yang Jian's foster father in Houshin Engi). User of the Xian-Slaying Sword. One of the few that gets to be really cool in Houshin Engi but sort of a complete jobber in the original Investiture.

3) Qingxu Daode Zhenjun

Huang Tianhua's mentor. Contrary to Yuding, he's a jobber in the manga but in the myths, he's the one who gets to beat Wang Tianjun, the second-in-command of the Ten Heavenly Lords.

4) Puxian Zhenren

Boddhisattva Samantabhadra's Xian form before he attained Buddhahood. The guy who gets all the homoerotic ship tease with Taigong in Houshin Engi. By Type-Moon's syncretism laws, he's probably the Buddha form of Kouga Saburou.

5) Daoxing Tianzun

Wei Hu's mentor. Comic relief in Houshin Engi. Otherwise irrelevant. Wei Hu himself is pretty irrelevant in the Investiture, but he's known as Skanda in Hindu/Buddhism and is extremely popular in Japan. You might have heard of him before by his Japanese name Idaten.

6) Guang Chengzi

Before being featured in the Investiture of the Gods, this one already had made an appearance in Shenxian Zhuan, where he is portrayed as just a disguise used by Laozi to instruct the Yellow Emperor. But here he's one of Yuanshi Tianzun's apprentices. Does it make sense for Laozi to be Yuanshi Tianzun's pupil? Not much, they should be even-ranked, even if you don't subscribe to the idea that they're the same individual. Maybe it can work if you write him as the first disciple. That said, his combat record fits his possibly Laozi status, having defeated many named enemies including the leader of the Ten Heavenly Lords.

His main role in both the Investiture and its manga counterpart is saving Prince Yin Jiao from Daji by taking him as his Taoist pupil. After training the prince, he lets Jiao return to the world under the condition that he won't betray his mentor to join the war on his father's side. After some tempting words from the villains, Jiao betrays his mentor to join the war on his father's side, so Taigong kills him (what's the best fight in Houshin Engi) but makes him the god of Jupiter under the divine name Taisui Xingjun. Later FGO released Taisui as the cutest event welfare, causing the tragic prince to finally gain Japanese and English Wikipedia pages.

7) Chi Jingzi

The doting mentor of the other rescued prince, Yin Hong. Background character in Houshin Engi but in the Investiture, he gets a decent amount of screentime, which includes a few arcs of invading enemy territory with a lot of powerful Xian treasures, dropping an important one there, needing to invade again to recover the item he forgot there, and then dropping another, rinse repeat. Also when the prince brothers break the promise of not siding with their father in the war, he has a major emotional breakdown and, covered in tears, burns his dear pupil to ashes.

8) Lingbao Dafashi

Actual pack filler. Doesn't do anything notorious in any myth or adaptation. The best I can offer as trivia is that his weapon in Houshin Engi is the Bell of Fallen Souls, which Taisui uses in FGO.

9) Ju Liusun

Buddha Kakusandha's Xian form before he attained Buddhahood. Background jobber in Houshin Engi, but in the Investiture, he wins a major fight and has his own arc about fighting a traitor apprentice but ultimately forgiving and reaccepting his pupil after learning he betrayed because he married a woman on the enemy side. Said redeemed pupil and his wife eventually die anyway in a fight against the same guy who kills Huang Feihu.

10) Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun

Boddhisattva Manjusri's Xian form before he attained Buddhahood. Background jobber in Houshin Engi, and in the Investiture, while he wins a few major fights, he doesn't really get a personal arc. The closest he gets is a small role in Nezha's backstory. It's weird how little Manjusri gets in terms of stories despite being such a popular Boddhisattva.

11) Huanglong Zhenren

If you thought Lingbao Dafashi's situation was dire, you're not prepared for how pitiful Huanglong is. In the Investiture, he's pretty much only there to get his ass kicked by a guy who is not even relevant enough appear in Houshin Engi. In the Houshin Engi manga, he doesn't get a named Paope. In the Houshin Engi artbook, the author gets his name wrong. Dude can't catch a break.

12) Cihang Zhenren

Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara's Xian form before they attained Buddhahood. The same Guanyin that appears as a main character in Journey to the West. The same Kanzeon from the Iori Buddha statues post. They don't do much here outside of some major fights, but that's fine enough when they have so much presence in Journey to the West.

#type moon #houshin engi

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quirkwizard · 5 months

Note

You haven't gotten a lot of Non Quirk questions in a while, so I wanted to send one that I think would be fun. What do you think would be the favorite anime/series of each 1-A Character? I know Tokoyami would be a Jujutsu Kaisen fan, but the rest I'm not sure.

Can I just say how much I appreciate questions like these? It's always really fun to get questions unrelated to Quirks outside of Quirks, especially more light hearted, character focused questions like these. I appreciate you sending this in and encourage more non-Quirk related questions. That aside, I will expand this to include manga as well. There are some choices on here that I think are perfect, but I know that certain animes aren't the best adaptation.

Sato: Food Wars. Maybe Toriko if you want something more on brand with him. I would say more about it, but that would imply there is anything deeper to read into with Sato.

Koda: Pokémon. There really isn't anything complicated about this choice. Just a fun, lighthearted series with wonderous creatures under the main character's control.

Mineta: Without question, it's Kill La Kill. He's actually one of the few people who are able to read into it on a deeper level and what it's trying to say but nobody believes him.

Denki: I don't know, Seven Deadly Sins? Kaminari just seems like he would be the most basic, go with whatever's is the most popular kind of fan, never really commiting to anything for too long.

Tsuyu: I think she would be into cute and happy series. Something light and fun that puts a smile on your face and could enjoy with other people around. Think something like Spy x Family.

Sero: Maybe Steins' Gate? He's on the same level as Denki, but it's usually more along with critics are going with then general audiences and at least takes some time to think about it.

Ojiro: Pretty much any heavily technical fighting anime, like Hajime no Ippo, but has a special place in his heart for Dragon Ball Z. Who knew that a martial artist with a tail would hit a chord with Ojiro?

Hagakure: I think her being into Sailor Moon would make sense. Something fun and flashy. I could easily see her using her reflective powers to do the whole Moon Prisim Power thing.

Aoyama: I could see him being kind of anime snob, being more interested in really old animes like Revolutionary Girl Utena or Rose of Versailles. Just something really pretty looking for his Bishonen soul.

Mina: Again, another character like Denki, but instead of focusing on shonen, she's more into whatever is popular with rom coms or slice of life, like Don't Bully Me Nagatoro or Dress Up My Darling.

Jiro: I honestly see her being more pulled towards the soundtrack of an anime rather then it's content. Though I do think she'd be interested in Cowboy Bebop with it's general "cool" feeling to it.

Tokoyami: He certainly seems like the guy that would be into the whatever edgy anime flavor of the month. First Death Note, then Tokyo Ghoul, and most recently Jujutsu Kiasen.

Shoji: He'd be into the Berserk manga. Just one of that people that reads super mess up stuff and is one of the chilliest people around. The only time he gets angry is when you mention any of the adaptations.

Kirishima: His favorite would be Gurren Lagann and there is nothing you can do to change my mind. It's just too perfect. That being said, if you want to pick something more ongoing, I'd say Jojo's Bizarre Adventure for obvious reasons.

Uraraka: I think she'd be into One Piece. I'm not sure why exactly I picked that out, I just think that she would like it. Maybe it's the mix of good, light heart adventures, lots of action and heart renching movement that makes me think she'd like it.

Tenya: Pretty much anything related to Gundam. I could see him being into the mechanics of the robots and the amount of stragy involved in the fights. Out of all of them though, his favorite would be the objectively best Gundam series: G Gundam.

Bakugou: Bakugou is both sides of the deep Naruto fan coin. He's simultaneously the guy that's actually reading into it and understanding what's it's saying, but also the obnoxious dude bro that talks about it like it's the greatest manga ever without question.

Shoto: It was honestly really hard to think of anything for him. He just doesn't seem like the kind of that would be into it. I was tempted on Fire Force for a joke, but I like the choice of Fruits Basket better. I feel like the complications of family and bonds would speak to him.

Momo: I was tempted to go with Doctor Stone, but I had to go with Fullmetal Alchemist. She's definitely one of those people who slaves over all the little details and themes in whatever she is watch, her face glowing as she talks about Elric's character and journey.

Izuku: I really wanted to pick One Punch Man for obvious reasons, but I think he'd be more pulled towards Hunter x Hunter. I think he'd especially be interested in the power system that's one of the few in all of manga that doesn't have to do with whatever you're born with.

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lewisshipsthings · 2 years

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Top Ten (Or So): Bakugou Fanfics

I’m a multipshipper–especially, for some reason, when it comes to Bakugou from My Hero Academia. I just love to see him put in such an awkward and completely-out-of-his-comfort-zone situation like Romance.

So without further ado, here are fanfiction recommendations arranged by Bakugou couple:

(Edit: I added a reading break, because this was a very long post to scroll through on my mobile.)

Bakugou/Iida: Breakneck Speed by chiropterology. This is the fic that made me make this list. Because I never, ever would have considered BakuIida as a ship if I hadn’t read this fic. I thought it would be cool to help others discover the delight of a previously unconsidered ship, and decided to make this list. The story is unfinished, and looks like it never will be finished (the author hasn’t been active at all in more than two years), but for me it was worth it for how hilarious and awesome it was.

Bakugou/Momo: My favourite fic with these two isn’t romantic at all, but still has great interactions between the two of them. I’m not gonna write the whole fic name because it’s extremely long, but it’s You know that thing where an orchestra swaps instruments…? by Sif.

There’s not that many great fics that are romantic out there for this pairing, and the one I like best I actually put in the Poly section below (“Love like a common cold”). But Leaf Water by smol_bird is a sweet little one-shot for these two, and I liked it quite a lot.

Bakugou/Ochako: I used to be into this ship a lot, but not so much anymore. It makes it difficult to recommend fics properly, because I don’t reread them anymore. That said, there is one Kacchako fic I still read whenever it updates, and that’s Seeing Double by knifekirby. This is one of the best (*the* best?) fantasy AU I’ve read (but mixed with the original MHA world! And yes, at one point you get two Bakugous at once). The world building is fantastic, barbarian Bakugou is epic, and the dragons are so awesome. It’s unfinished, but updates keep coming after long breaks, so there’s lots of hope.

A runner up could be A Different Perspective by House_of_Pixels. I quite like mind-sharing and soul-bond type fics, and this is a really cool one of that genre.

Bakugou/Deku: I have the opposite problem as with Ochako here. I’m a big bakudeku shipper, and I’ve read so many and have so many favourites depending on my mood that it’s hard to pick only a couple to recommend. But still, if I had to pick one, I think I’d go with (may the bridges i have burned) light my way back home by Chrome. It’s slow burn (my favourite), and the romance is subtle and difficult. Quite beautiful, in my opinion. It’s unfinished, and I had thought it was going to remain so forever, but it recently updated after a long, long break this year, so there’s hope!

For a one-shot (and thus finished) fic, try Do Not Disturb by surveycorpsjean. I’m a manga reader, and there have been so many developments between Bakugou and Midoriya recently, but the fics haven’t caught up. This story takes place after Ch. 322, and Katsuki is SO in character–caring for Izuku in the way he does in recent manga chapters, while still retaining all his amazing strength and gruffness.

And finally, a runner up: for a long and finished fic that I don’t think is getting nearly enough love, try zero-sum game by roadtripwithlucifer. It’s dark and angsty and adult and there’s lots of sex (one of the tags is “Sex as a Coping Mechanism”), but it’s fantastically written, and man do you get all the feels with this one.

Bakugou/Todoroki: I tend not to seek out todobaku, but will enjoy it if it’s in the bookmarks or works of an author I really like. So I’m not aware of the full breadth of options for this pairing, but there are a few I’ve found that I really enjoy. cruel to be kind by shaekspeares would be the first one I’d recommend. It’s a very long, slow-burn one-shot, and the first section is devoted to Bakugou struggling with PTSD (something I personally really like reading fics about) and has almost no Todoroki at all (an indication of its slow-burn, and a point in its favour for me).

Another would be and even the cake is in tiers by supercrunch, which I also mention in the poly section below. It has multiple endings, one of which is todobaku, and it’s one of the funniest fics on this list.

And finally, as a runner up, I have to recommend A Real Fucking Problem by Ellessey. It has, um… a LOT of masturbation, lol. I read fanfiction more for the romance than the sex (not through lack of horniness, but lack of interest in written word to deal with horniness). But this fic has such good characterization for Bakugou, and is so, so funny, that I don’t even mind the mammoth amounts of sexual content.

Bakugou/Froppy: All the Same Broken Parts by Seeress. There’s not many fics for this ship–it’s quite a rarepair. But I happened on this one, and I'm very glad. It’s so sad (though happy in the end), but I found it quite lovely and excellently written.

Bakugou/Camie: The Freaky Friday sitch! by orphan_account. Like with Momo, my favourite fic with these two isn’t romantic, but it’s hilarious, and these two are a fantastic duo. Bodyswapped Camie in Bakugou’s body is just *chef’s kiss*.

For a runner up that is romantic, you could try our friendship goes beyond your average kind of bond (but not because we’re gay) by wonhaebunny. I could actually see it happening something like this in canon, plus there’s a lovely bit of Bakugou & Kirishima friendship on the side.

Bakugou/Kaminari: My favourite BakuKami is actually in a bakudeku fic, Permanent Ink by Maxime. Fortunately, the little bit of BakuKami in that fic was so delightful, that they wrote another pure BakuKami fic, Tango for Two, Electric Boogaloo.

Bakugou/Shinsou: letting it linger by Ramabear. Nosy classmates, early-morning Shinsou staring, demi-sexual Bakugou (my favourite kind of Bakugou). It’s super cute and I really enjoyed it.

Polyamorous: Love like a common cold by supercrunch. My two favourite Bakugou ships, BakuDeku and BakuMomo, with a side splash of Todoroki. It’s a fantastic and very funny bodyswapping fic that you should definitely try out. The same author also wrote and even the cake is in tiers, which has an ending with todobakudeku, and is hilarious.

Gen: I’m always on the lookout for good Gen Bakugou fics, but I find it surprisingly hard to find ones I like. Here’s a couple I really loved:

A Little Demonstration by AnonymousTwit. Bakugou’s epic fights are one of my favourite parts of his character, and this gets at that glorious feeling exactly. It’s like the Joint Training Arc, but *more epic*.

Social Media: 101 by WindsChild8178. If you’re ok with Mistuki being abusive and a whole lot of angst and PTSD for Bakugou, then you really should try this fic. WindsChild is a fantastic writer, and this is one of the few fics that I remember vividly no matter how far between updates. It’s unfinished, but WindsChild puts a lot of work into each chapter, so it tends to be a long time between updates. I still have lots of hope it will be finished.

Note on Bakugou/Jirou: I love this ship, it’s probably in my top 3 Bakugou ships, but I haven’t yet found any fics that really, really stand out–enough to put them on this list, at least. Feel free to recommend one!

Note on Bakugou/Kirishima: My shipping is a mystery even to me, and it always has been. Why do I not like KiriBaku when I like almost every other Bakugou ship under the sun? I have no frickin clue. I have no rational reasons against it–it’s cute and sweet and there’s more canon moments with them than almost anyone else besides Deku. I do not blame anyone for liking this couple, I just happen not to myself, so I have no recs. If you really like kiribaku, feel free to reply with some recs of your own. :)

#Bakugou Katsuki #fanfiction #fanfic recs #fanfiction recommendation #bakudeku #todobaku #bakukami #bakumomo #bakuiida #kacchako #my hero academia #bnha #bnha fanfic #bakucamie #bakushin #bakutsuyu

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quenthel · 2 months

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My experience with Dragon's Dogma 2 and my thoughts about the true ending (spoilers!)

So first of all I never finished the first game. It just did not captivate me, and I got annoyed by the respawning low level enemies and lack of fast travel. I loved the monster designs and the pawns a lot tho.

Then the second game got announced n I vacillated between getting it and not getting it, while like 90% of my friends were hyping me up. I ended up pre-ordering. I made my pawn after my beloved kittycat Lara.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is very similar to the first game but it feels more polished. The vocations are more fun, the pawns are chattier and cuter, the vibe of the world is a bit more whimsical and sillier than it was. I ended up not minding the low level enemies at all because the combat is just that fun. The npcs are also more charming this time around but the more I played the more I just fell in love with the pawns. The rest of the npcs colored the world, and the game's big quest (aside from continuing the cycle n killing the dragon) is specifically to learn about this world. The pathfinder specifically tells you this the game itself grapes you by the shoulder and invites you to have fun in this light hearted theme park. Kill cool monsters! Meet lovely people! It's very comfy.

BUT THEN the game occasionally has moments that made me feel emotional. And many times these moments were connected to my pawn. When my dear Lara was in danger or dying or in pain in a cutscene it felt meaningful because she is my main pawn. My main traveling companion, my little heal bot. I even presented her to the Sphinx when she asked who I love the most because she is the one always by my side chatting in my ear.

Then I got to the end. And the victory over the dragon felt hollow. Like ok great I did it I saved the world but it's just the same shit right? And where is my pawn? So I triggered the true ending or the beginning of the true ending that breaks the cycle. At first I found this very cool bc I love when games about grand cycles allow you to just upset the order of things... (It was very dark souls like) After I found my pawn sweet Lara again I started taking on the rest of the post game, which was preparing the denizens of the world that it is ending. Lara said she always felt my Arisen's presence like a heartbeat, even while separated.

And as I was facing down the last thing available for me (aside from another quest that glitched out) something very cool happened. The last challenge was killing another of these weird brine dragons, by powering the Gigantus you fight earlier. And it was LARA doing it not my Arisen. And SHE killed the dragon. Like pawns in this game have no free will at all, it's acknowledged many times by the setting. They are mysterious and they exist to help you. They have emotions, and they chitter cutely, but you make them. They are even more doll like than your own player character or all npcs and yet by the end my own pawn was the character I cared for the most. And she started acting without me prompting.

And then it was the end of my journey and I summoned a new proper dragon. And Lara turned into one too (like when pawns get the disease n turn into dragons) but this time she remained aware. And she helped me kill the new dragon. Like the last moment with your poor struggling pawn deciding to help you not because it's their role in this world but because it WANTS to help out of it's free will? That moment will stuck with me for a long time.

And it's such a smart decision too bc your Arisen steps out of the cycle and your pawn your precious companion does too. While the spirit of the game talks about pawns being hollow nothings, your own pawn replies to that that it's not true and it became something because of the player. And this is a game where pawns learn things from you all the time.

Like it just made me think about a lot of things. Fantasy stories and the people in these stories are there to serve a purpose usually (the pathfinder says this exact same thing too). Dragon's Dogma 2 analyzes what it means to exist in one such a story on a level I think. Like it presents you with a beautiful world and with lovely people you can escape to. It's idillyc and you are a hero and you can kill monsters and dragons and you can be so cool. And at first wanting to see the true ending feels like a punishment. Like oh really? You wanted to see this world unravel? Well it's all shit now. All those lovely people are in danger the world is no longer beautiful and everyone is DOOMED. Do you care to struggle? Why do you care to struggle? Do you care for this little doll you made so many hours ago to aid you? Why does it feel meaningful when it gains free will?

I think it's very impactful on a level because I did end up caring a lot. Especially about my pawn transforming into something new. The two of us together remaking the lovely world in which neither of us have a place in...

#quenthel special #dragon's dogma 2 #dragon's dogma 2 spoilers #this is my emotional review....#also im gonna beat 1 now bc i want to see lol #ill do a proper analysis later maybe #anyway its 2am n i cant sleep...#dragon's dogma

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absolutebl · 2 years

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This Week In BL - The Floodgates Have Opened

Oct 2022 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Eclipse (Fri YT) 9 of 12 - Aye is such an intense and focused little thing. The eye contact with these 2 is beyond eye fucking into something more like eye soul-mating. The pool kiss was fine, but they looked cold. GMMTV loves a pool kiss.

My Only 12% (Fri iQIYI) 9 of 14 - this show makes me cry. Fee is a wonderful friend. This was a good episode, it was fun to see Eiw come into his own. I look forward to the reunion next week.

Ai Long Nhai (Mon iQIYI) 2 of 10 - I figured it out, this is Make it Right the uni years! That’s why I like it. Nhai Is apparently flirtier and gayer when drunk. I’ve known some British lads like that. OK so sex happened. I like that there was some kind of confused drunken consent. But also serious regrets and bisexual identity crisis. Poor Nhai: You can’t have your friend and eat him too. This plot is moving quickly: it’s ep 2 and they have slept together and confessed, plus a one month trial relationship. I like it. This is messy gay in a way I appreciate.

Ghost Host, Ghost House (Weds YouTube & Gaga) 1 of 8 - I'm enjoying the lead pair, the meet cute, and the combative nature of their relationship. I’m not wild about the premise but I like how different it is from all the previous “my ghost boyfriend” takes on this concept. More “our human pet.” I’m beginning to be weirdly charmed by how bureaucratic the Thai afterlife always seems to be.

Big Dragon (Sat Gaga) 1 of 8 - Basically we have player love-rivals (a girl)/enemies to lovers + a rich/poor pairing: Yai & Mangkorn. It had a good hook but most of the ep was dull; thankfully Gaga has a 1.5x speed. The acting is bad but the sex scene was fine: dominance struggles, lots of switching, and verse stuff. *we likie* This show is using drugging (impaired judgement/dub-con/both men), sexual extortion, and blackmail as a plot device not unlike LITA. But it’s using antiheroes and presenting everything, including the characters, in a negative light. Thus right now in BL we have a great example of how the same plot device can be depicted differently and result in an entirely different perspective and watcher experience. In other words: a narrative I’m hating in LITA doesn’t bother me here, because of characterization.

Work from Heart (Thurs YouTube) 3 of 7 - The agro yet deeply in-crush behavior of our tsundere seme is kinda fun, but the fashion remains truly terrible and the most unpleasant performer in this show. Although it’s got competition.

Love in the Air (Thurs iQIYI) 8 of 13 - the premise and blackmail set up for this couple really fucked with me (because Sky is a broken angel-baby and Pai is an irredeemable pustule). I am not happy about it: DUMPSTER FIRE TRASH WATCH ALONG HERE. That said, there is a GREAT analysis of Sky’s character here (that I totally enjoy and want to be true, but I think gives Mame too much credit).

Fahlanruk (Sun GaGa) 4 of 12 - So Fah’s bf cheated first? Okay, still doesn’t justify his behavior. Honestly, I really can’t stand this show. Now we are playing a game of how long can I go before dropping it.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Takara-kun and Amagi-kun (Japan Thurs GaGa & Viki) 7 of 8 - these two pretty much define awkward. Takara because he is trying desperately to keep his cool reserve (and perform perfect seme) while simultaneously being so in love/lust with Amagi in high school where desire is, by definition and practice, uncool. Amagi is all frenetic movements and angles, like he cannot control his limbs or his emotions, everything is deeply confusing to him including Takara’s affection. Watching them stumble around each other and agonize over every little movement and conversation is an exercise in joy, patience, and agony. It’s all so “teenager” I can hardly stand it. This episode, however, was more about Tanaka coping with learning his friend is 1. not straight and 2. deeply in love with an adorable weirdo. It was a quieter ep than I expected but sweet. “He said something cute and I couldn’t help myself“ is so traditional Japanese seme in one sentence I can’t even.

Kabe Koji (Japan Mon Viki) 1 of 10 - basically this is A Man Who Defies the World of BL + Senpai This Can’t be Love (as @heretherebedork said). Nakao Masaki playing a sunshine bouncy himbo character is a fucking revelation, I didn’t think he had it in him. But our tsundere uke is far too tsundere for me, and despite the premise (AN IDOL LOVE INTEREST!) I do not not really like it. I just hate the stalker photograph obsession thing (My Engineer, SCOY, STCBL, now this) and I can’t support a character that starts out this way, it’s apparently a trigger I didn’t know I had until BL tried to romanticize it. I love Nakao Masaki (in a non stalker, no photos kind of way) so I might muscle through but...

Once Again (Korea Fri GaGa) 7-8fin - Cute date plus hand holding and a mild but sweet moot kiss does not a satisfying ending make. They are great boyfriends even if only for a few days. As expected, like Kissable Lips, this one ends sad. Can’t stop the Koreans when a temporal paradox and death is on the line. They do love their tragedy, not to mention unavoidable fate. 2/10 NOT RECOMMENDED

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

War of Y - 20 eps A spy have reported in on a spoiler assessment of the first 2 installments here. 2 more to go.

Oh My Sunshine Night 16 eps - I’m scared it’s gonna be sad, so I’m waiting for spies to tell me it’s safe, so far reported to be quite the soap opera.

To Sir With Love AKA Khun Chai 10 eps - dito OMSN, so I’m holding until it finishes its run.

My Roommate - 32 eps of 2 minutes each? Terrible production values, worse than the pulps. I not bothering.