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totaldramafan-lauri · 6 months

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Make Use Of Me (chapter 1, preview)

Dec. 7 EDIT: ONCE MORE, WITH BRAVERY THIS TIME. No more chickening out. You can read this thing FOR REAL now. Sorry for being weird, and now....sorry if this wasn't worth it. XD

O-OK...here goes....

First thing's first: I am not expecting a lotta people to read this. I'm not asking people to read this. At this point, I'm making this mostly as a passion project, and if anyone enjoys it, it'll be a really cool bonus. My writing style isn't gonna be for everyone, and the characters I write aren't the most....popular characters in the CRK X Reader community, and I imagine this isn't really something a lotta fans'll be demanding more of.

This is LONG. This one chapter is 56 pages long. I am a VERY wordy writer,

So......why'm I posting this preview? Well....partially as an interest gauge for people who WOULD wanna read it, but...mostly as a motivator. As something to remind myself of whenever I get lazy. After all....I can't quit after I made the first chapter public, right? By doing that, I put myself out there...And, hey, I even tagged it, so, if by the off chance, someone did read it, I'm basically promising them more eventually.....

But, again, I'm not forcing anyone to read this.

Not only is it long, but.....This first chapter is probably my least-favorite thing I've ever written. By posting this chapter by itself, I'm testing to see if it does its job of making people wanna read the rest, cuz....right now, I'm not so sure how well it succeeds at that.....

This is the boring part of the story. It's a bunch of setup, and me jumping through hoop after hoop after hoop to just get everything started. I know setup is important and all, but....I'm already a very wordy writer, so....oof....There is some interesting stuff that happens, but it takes a while to get there.

I-I....kinda hate it, actually. The only reason I didn't scrap it is that I didn't realize I hated it until I was about halfway through it and the "good part" hadn't started yet. And I still spent a month writing the thing, so....I finished it.

I'm tagging this...as an experiment. If you wanna read this, go ahead. W-well, read my tags first, THEN go ahead. XD

All I can really say in this chapter's defense is that....I do try my best to salvage it. It's just setup, but I TRIED to make it interesting. And everything that seems like it didn't go anywhere, will later. This isn't the whole story, it's just the beginning of what's gonna be a BIG story. Anything that seems weird in this chapter, gets explored in the other chapters. This does set up a bunch of stuff that becomes important later (The friend character shows up later, the Colosseum becomes relevant later). This chapter is boring, but I tried not to make any of it pointless.

For the future: I'm aiming for five chapters. Chapters 2 and 3 will be a series of smaller vignettes that take place over the course of a few years, chapter 4 will be the climax, and chapter 5 will be something of an epilogue. After that, there will be two endings to choose from (which will make sense when we get there).

This probably won't be my favorite thing I've ever written, but it will be the most ambitious thing I've ever, and probably will ever, write. I haven't written something like this before, and it's all to flesh out this story and make it believable.

Right now, I.....I want to finish this. I'll probably still be writing this in February at the rate I'm going, but...at this point, I've put too much into it to give up on it. However, I'm STILL not completely ruling out the idea of my motivation dying before then. It COULD happen. So, what I'm planning to do is...setting a short-term goal of finishing chapter 3. After I do that, I'll post the first three chapters on AO3 together, and work on the rest. That way, even if I don't finish it, I'll at least have it over half done, and chapter 3 will end on a somewhat high note.

So, yyyyeah....Not a lotta people will read this preview. Overly wordy writing style + boring setup part of story + 56 pages long + assumed lack of interest for X Readers of this character (At least, I haven't SEEN many simps for her, m-maybe I'm wrong, I might be, I-I haven't checked any tags cuz I've been nervous, b-but it doesn't make my writing any better. In that case, this is my first time writing her so I'm trying super hard to do her justice >//////<)

I-if you wanna read this, and see if this first chapter does a good job of making you wanna read the better chapters, then...Go ahead.....

Some notes:

-This is still not the final draft. It's finalized enough for me to share, but I'm still not considering it finished. Even tho I'm working on chapter 3 right now, I STILL go back and edit this, even very recently. So, chances are, even if the story is finalized, small details and sentences are still subject to change. I know for a fact that there are still SOME placeholder bits in here that will change after I get some stuff cleared up. Recently, I even considered chopping off an entire section to make it shorter. I decided not to, but hey, it could still happen. I don't wanna waste anyone's time. The first chapter of a story, even if it's boring, is still very important, and I wanna make sure it's the best version of itself.

(A-and yes, this means that I've finished chapter 2 as well. The reason I'm not sharing it is that, unlike chapter 1, it was finished VERY recently, so I might still need to give myself time to edit it. From what I have, tho, I do like it a LOT more than chapter 1. There are some parts of chapter 2 that I'm legit proud of.)

-Even tho this first chapter is completely clean, I-I should mention that....this fic is for adults. The full version, at least. Chapters 3 and 4 are gonna contain some light N/S/F/W moments (the "fade to black" variety, so nothing explicit) and there'll be other slightly racey comments here and there. Just a heads-up. I'm gonna be uncomfy with minors reading this.

Th-that's all? I-I think that's all.......O-OK, so......h-here goes..... E-enjoy....

#fics by lauri #fanfic preview #WARNING: UNFINISHED #THIS IS JUST THE FIRST CHAPTER #......AND ITS STILL A LONG READ #cookie run x reader #crk x reader #golden cheese cookie x reader #gender neutral reader #also contains a gender neutral 'friend' character you can do what you want with #basically i got inspired by that part in her bio that mentions how...#....shes always looking to add more loyal subjects #and it made me imagine the story of an outsider who gradually integrates into the kingdom and earns her approval #so its an underdog story basically #and there a LOT that the reader gets put through #reader is shy and socially awkward but can also be a bit more sarcastic than the other reader characters ive written #im aiming for a BIT more comedy than usual since its my first crk fic that doesnt take place in the humorless dark cacao kingdom XD #but yeah reader is a ball of anxiety #they get panic attacks later on #pre canon #VERY VERY VERY pre canon #takes place DECADES before canon #before um....the lost city became lost #its not virtual #no errors no avatars #just a technologically advanced city #power imbalance and god complex stuff all over the place cuz fghdhgfhdhfgh im weak for that part of her #also contains some themes of verbal abuse (from nameless characters toward reader)#and like i said it has some adult moments later on #contains a lot of time skips

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aesthetictanuki · 2 months

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I kinda have to ramble a little skdjfksdjf.

SPOILERS FOR THE NEWLY RELEASED CHAPTERS OF ID 2

Okay, I like ID, I've fell in love with Cas' character, I've come to liking Gabe a lot too. Also, I want to point out that despite still arguing (guessing they really wanna drive the whole "jealousy" thing home), they seem to work together a lot more, knowing how much MC cares- which I appreciate and enjoy watching.

But like, PB had room to explore some hard-hitting concerns with being a vampire- maybe even letting us into what it was like for Cas and Gabe when they were human too, letting us get to know them way better and polish them as characters.

Because, am I the only one who wonders what happened to everything that may be human to MC? Didn't they have a dream college to go to? What if they wanted to explore the world or just simply go overseas? What if their mom decides that it's time to move out? The lines deal destroyed all of that kinda, also I doubt your coven would let you leave anyway. MC pretty much has been chained to the town forever, I feel like that's something worth giving us at least a chapter or two about - or just explore it throughout the whole story.

I have some thoughts on how morality plays a role in the whole biting/hunting thing too, because that lowkey felt lackluster in ID 1 - and what, you're gonna tell me no vampire had any thoughts or feelings about being a predator now? Hunting someone that could be someone else's family and friends? Or just feeding off of them in general? I just feel like we haven't properly explored the mental side of things, but I know there's a chapter about hunting, so I'm gonna stay (mostly) quiet. I know vampires may have mixed emotions to what being human is to them like Cas- but PB isn't giving me much to work with.

Not to mention, they've showed that they lack writers tbh. I didn't personally liked the dinner scene in ch.4 for example- I know hunger is a big part of the story at the moment, but I kinda hoped for seeing MC's mom interacting with Cas and Gabe more. Showing me what she thinks about them, what they would talk about. Those two are clearly very important people to MC, I kinda wanted to see at least a proper scene with her getting to know them and hinting at a relationship being built, it's clear as day that those are your kid's romantic interests- and she's a good mom overall, I think she'd like to meet those mysterious little freaks your child constantly hangs around with.

And, I don't know if you remember, but in book 1, there was a scene after the hospital fiasco where MC was wondering who bit who between LIs, and they made a whole deal about it. But then in book 2 if you go see those silver brands, they just kinda drop on you that Cas got punished once for messing up while Gabe was still a human.

So doesn't that indicate that Cas turned Gabe? And they just glazed over that?

I'm gonna end it with the fact that I'm kinda irritated with the fact that we could - but don't as of now- get an MC that would simply go "wait, hold up... I think I'm polyam", with the Gabe and Cas situation. I agree that there should absolutely be choice for people, but I personally did agree in book 1 to be with both of them- I think even if you choose just one person, there's still an option to be with them both in a way, and flirt with both? And they don't establish any rules (as in who's okay with what to make sure nobody is hurt and uncomfortable, and suffers in silence for the sake of others), they don't talk, nothing. Again, I fully get that the transformation is a huge deal and has to take the first seat, that's obvious, but... not even a little convo? 4 chapters in? I think it would be really cool to have them explore this side, along with having the possibility of MC discovering they might be a polyamorous person. And they just focus on "the other being jealous" which, I feel like, makes my MC look like he's just a dickhead - or at least incredibly inconsiderate- it's like "My two first loves" all over again.

Or at least it feels like "being a vampire" takes the spotlight, controling yourself is the main course and concerns, not to mention all those pesky human feelings and concerns are thrown into the garbage. I'm trying to stop myself from being overly judgemental, because I'd like to finish the book first, but I don't know.

You PB fuckers are lucky you made Cas so damn likable.

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dellalyra · 1 year

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Pixie’s JJK Theories

!! SPOILERS !! (225 included) if u don’t wanna know anything then don’t read <3

Okay so, I’ll try to make these make sense and put them in some sort of order bc I have so many ideas and thoughts they r swimming in my head :):)

Gna preface the whole thing by saying I don’t think Gojo is dead/will die, just from an editing/business perspective (I did 2 years study of being an editor and 5 years of creative writing studies, not an expert or anything so just MY OPINION)

So first theory set:

Who’s gonna kill Sukuna and Kenjaku?

Maki Kills Sukuna

I think that 225 has been a signal that Sukuna CANNOT be defeated/killed by cursed energy or techniques. I don’t know how to describe it best but think of Achilles, an unbeatable hero but he had that one weakness. Now Sukuna’s whole CT/DE is based around weaponry right? There’s literally nobody more talented with weaponry than Maki - it’s been hinted that she’s even surpassed Toji in terms of physical prowess since Mai’s death and the whole heavenly restriction thing. What if, he basically can only be beaten by someone playing his game: a proper fight? Think of it, maki has no CE, no CT, no DE. But she is completely unparalleled with weapons and cursed tools. What if - she’s the antithesis and also the mirror image of him and that’s what could take him down? Also: it would be a mirror of Toji V Gojo.

Gojo & Sukuna = Gods amongst Mortals

Maki & Toji = The Mortals

Toji’s lack of cursed energy and physical abilities also with the inverted spear allowed him to kill Satoru.

What if this will be repeated history with Maki - with something from the Zen’in vault?

If Maki could then save Megumi, then they could work to rebuild the Zen’in clan in their image: modern, fair and open.

That’s one theory anyway since we’ve seen that Sukuna cherishes and admires strength and power.

Theory Two

Choso Kills Kenjaku

OKAY SO Choso’s whole character is family. His whole aim since day one has been his brothers. What if choso kills kenjaku, as his revenge? Noritoshi Kamo is the one who both created AND destroyed Choso’s family - it would be poetic justice for Choso to be the one to kill him, since he has known nothing but manipulation and violence since his ‘birth’.

Theory Three

Yuuji kills Sukuna

Sukuna took so much from yuuji it would just be JUSTICE but also remember during the exchange event arc megumi really emphasised how even without cursed energy yuuji would still destroy them all in hand to hand combat? I think that’s rly important here. This kinda follows the same logic as my maki theory but I just have this feeling that Sukuna can’t be taken down with cursed techniques or DE, it has to be raw unbridled power. Like I said Sukuna respects and covets power and maybe it’s because he knows that’s the one thing that could kill a god like him.

Plus - this ties in with ‘start by saving me, Itadori’ and megumi and Yuuji’s promises and threats to not die. Regardless of whether or not u ship them romantically, their relationship (platonic or not) has been at the forefront of the entire series - it would make sense for Itadori starting his full Sukuna free life by the first person he really saves being Megumi.

Also I like this because remember the ‘Nah, I’d win’ conversion with Gojo? Wouldn’t it be cool if it was actually Yuuji who won - saving Gojo, Megumi and everyone else?

Theory Four

Inumaki is gonna have a big part to play. Idk what, but the timing of his return lends itself to this.

Also, Nobara isn’t dead. The other person that gojo Shoko and Ijichi were talking about was Nobara and she ain’t dead but severely injured and I think she’s gonna come in with a dramatic ‘here to save ur sorry asses’ moment bc it just is very on brand for her.

Theory Five

Why Gojover isn’t happening now/ever.

But especially now.

OKAY business perspective ik it takes away from the ‘story’ part but don’t forget that Gege has editors and he needs to sell more copies of future editions and chapters so a certain amount of fan service is required, Gojo stole the show literally - they know that killing him off is a bad business choice at any point, but especially in such an anti-climactic way.

Another rly important point is every character who’s had a huge impact on the story and then subsequently fuckin died, think Geto, Nanami, Toji - they’ve all had a poignant death and Gojo has had even more of an impact on the story.

Geto: you could at least curse me a little in the end and his moment w gojo in the alley

Nanami: you’ve got it from here looking at yuuji his protege who he was so tough on and then telling him essentially he trusted and believed in him

Toji: my kid will be sold to the Zen’in’s, do what you will after pushing gojo to unlock his full potential thru fuckin stabbing him and then gojo stopping the sale of megumi

After all of these deaths they’re not gonna do:

Gojo: 3 chapters, gets slashed in the neck and fucking croaks.

That’s just bad storytelling and no matter how cruel he is Gege is a phenomenal storyteller

NEXT point is I think this is where we’re finally gonna see some real RCT. It’s interesting how Gojo said he doesn’t mind going HAM on Megumi’s body bc he looks like his dad - I don’t think that’s a coincidence that he’s fighting someone who looks so like Toji and then gets slashed in his neck? Seems a bit like repeating history, but I think even Gojo’s RCT won’t cut it - I think it’ll be Shoko who saves him.

The giveaway for this for me was ‘You were never alone’ and her reminiscing. She’s always been there for the two boys and she always will be - she’s the most powerful RCT user and she’s never left Gojo’s side, and she won’t fail him now. She will heal his neck, because he’s not alone at the top of the food chain. Pair with this if Utahime is still using her amplification technique, Shoko is almost unstoppable in terms of RCT.

We’ve seen this situation with Yuuta and Yuuji too, so there’s canon evidence of its existence and potential.

Also - I don’t think the Tojification of Gojo is accidental or just gege having a hard on for Toji. This is again a Man Vs God situation, take this and use it on Toji (man) v Gojo (god), but now it’s Gojo (man) vs Sukuna (god). Ultimately, Toji killed Gojo. He killed a God by force. Maybe that’s some foreshadowing idk idk.

Theory six

Yuuta kills Kenjaku.

Don’t fight me on this one. It’s feminine intuition. Idk why or how or where but it’s gna happen.

Theory seven

Noritoshi Kamo kills Noritoshi Kamo.

The battle of the Noritoshi’s.

Won’t happen but would be funny and I would enjoy the confusion at the both screaming each others names and it being their own names like the confusion from Shibuya.

Theory Eight

I kill Sukuna and Kenjaku.

They’re testing my patience rn, and they’re hurting my babies. Mama Pixie is unhappy. I’ll chase after them both and beat them with a frying pan until they both apologise and get me a bouquet each for being such unruly boys and then they will make ‘I’m sorry for killing your brother/I’m sorry for taking your eye out/sorry for living in ur body and taking ur heart out/sorry for killing ur sister and then taking ur body/sorry for using ur ex-bfs body as a marionette’ cards for everyone and I put them in time out (hell).

#jjk spoilers #jujutsu kaisen spoilers #jjk manga spoilers #jjk #gojo satoru #maki zenin #jujutsu kaisen yuuji

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thatonesongyouretryingtoremember · 5 days

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annotated DBD!!! episode FIVE

NIKO'S VOICE in the thingy!

"dyou wanna kiss monty" *cue charles face*

YOU CAN HEAR CHARLES' MOM CRYING OH NOOO

TNN'S SCREAM LMAOO

not the David/Charles paralells

Edwin. I think he really is trying to make a joke there. At least he can read the room now.

Eddie's maaad

Well I guess Charles can't read the room

how did he know??

also. ghosts don't sleep so they don't have nightmares. not important just interesting.

this scene is actually so sweet. more breakups on screen should be this sweet.

Who are the Taurus and Aries in the group?

I blame the guy from School Spirits for making me trust these assholes.

is that the University of Dublin?

it was exactly the plan.

they were gonna go to school together awww

they didn't even get split up after dying..

"they're just like us" "they're just best mates" Charles what are you saying

These guys REALLY don't want to do a seagull thing, huh.

MUSIC

only partly relevant but there's a US flag behind Niko as she mails the letter

wait where have I heard the music before?? the thing that plays when Niko sees Maxine's letter?

The music that plays after the chapter title!!!

the "Pathway to Knowledge" sign has a bunch of circles in it

Niko is so dramatic the way she moves omg

Charles: haha the cliff thing was good right?

Edwin: *sighs in oh fuck* *changes the subject*

Charles: Oh so we're talking about THIS now are we?

Also I think it's really cool for a teen show to have characters this excited about kissing. Like, I feel like lots of shows only have teens who are much more involved, and not everyone is into that.

Niko-ass question

the way he talks and moves when he says "I felt it up here" (in his head) wtfff he's so cute

aw you've been holding on to that one

the tone of voice when he says "of course"

AND now we're back to these two

the music here is so cute

interruption trope

Niko's smile when she looks at them all <2

Interesting that keeping them alive is what gets Niko to finally tell these two to be nice...

I love her voice when she says "outlook not so good"

Also it's interesting that Niko checks the 8-ball so frequently. She wants to know when she will die. (she won't tho!)

ew that mushroom thing CANNOT smell good

Also don't mushrooms have roots?? that soil looks shallow.

"I was supposed to see Edwin today, but of course they're off on another stupid case" he sounds like a caricature of himself. I love him.

actually I think his shirt might actually have a car on it

the way he's sittingggg

maybe you wanna try.... harder

why was that so hard for her to say? Also I feel like there's a double meaning here..

Monty perks up his little head IN GONNA DIEE

I don't know what that stereotype teenage tone of voice is called, but Monty has it every time he talks to Esther and it's hilarious

DON'T YOU DARE MENTION THAT BLOOD GODDESS NAME

There are little plants in jars on the windowsill

ew she grabs his face. threats of violence

So they don't remember even leaving the party, huh

Edwin is so serious lol

Also have they NEVER been to Maren's house?? In a different memory, Brad was totally at Maren's. Why did he never see the tree until he died?

I wonder if Maren only painted the eyes after hearing about her pictures.. as if she could feel people looking at her. That's pretty sad to think about.

no bro the eyes are not part of the bark

Brills? Really?

Charles has his Doom Patrol coat but Edwin literally didn't even change clothes

Why is that girl even talking to a "reporter" then?? do you think a reporter will be impressed by your drug use? do you think she will care if you can't give her information?

he wants to be so cool with the glasses

I remember that Jenny said a similar skeletons line at one point, maybe with the letters?? I'll have to recheck my notes!

why does this mascot bitch care??

THE KNIVES

so assuming Jenny is being literal that every edible bachelorette in town has cats, we can assume that there are fewer than 146 single women in all of Port Townsend.

her lil look round the room

Does Niko have a pompom stuck to her nail???

maggot-infested!?

Trawler is a bad name for a newspaper

we don't actually have time to see Charles face when Richy mentions the supposed suicide pact

Crystal: I talked to Maren, and (serious words)

Edwin, looking at Charles: 👁👄👁

Charles' eyebrow raise at the word "hand jobs" LMAOO

she really said ur 2 pussy 2 kill ppl. not me tho

MUSIC!!!

and for the whole rest of the episode, we never find out more about Shelby apparently stalking Brad

OH. MY. FUCK.

rule number one: if she sends you anonymous floral stationary letters from a typewriter, YOU are not the over-the-top crazy one.

is there a board on the wall with three clocks???

He rly said "ur too hot and jock-like to converse with her"

she died in her blue dragon tracksuit.

Those two REALLY like doing that creepy teleport thing, huh.

Also they totally ignore Crystal for this entire interaction

"can fuel a hyste- can change a ghost" look who's on his misogyny redemption arc

nevermind

at least he's being all business and actually wants to get to the bottom of it

I don't know what to say exactly, but I love the entire Crystal-Charles interaction after the Shelby thing

oh yeah, and the eggshells line! I said that was important!

what does a peacock feather tattoo mean??

"run" sure. totally not stalking.

I think this is the first time in the series that Jenny makes a joke. She really was opening up.

the way when Maren mentions adderall, Charles looks down like 'damn it' and Edwin is like "hmmm"

perhaps we should follow up with this 'Molly' character

Also I kinda do wanna hear the molly story now. what exactly was going on?

why don't you want to be seen with her, Maren? because you don't want her death to trace back to you?

Edwin is already a little suspicious of Maren...

yes Edwin, we all care about her bathroom.

there's. a fucking doll shoe glued to her photo wall??

that is a weird fuckin place to put a light switch

the frickin. lean in front of the closet.

wait there's a ballerina thing!! like Isolde from the comics!

random round red lantern on the dresser. sure.

there are lights on by the closet, but none by the bed and none of the overheads. is that weird, or am I weird?

he just fuckin. breaks it open. I guess Maren knows less about the killing biz than Esther.

Thank gods Crystal has the sense to not drink that!

Do you think they have Maren a green phone case just so we could tell hers apart?

The way she doesn't even realize what she was doing until it was over..

pk but why tf did they go out of their way to write ""desire"" into the script?? "I've got zero desire to tell them" NOBODY TASKS LIKE THAT

why is there one random really bright light??

As far as I know, nobody told Crystal about Edwin's death, right?? Did she figure it out when they were talking to TNN or something?

"cutting meat can be really cathartic"

dragon tattoo??

what's her ear tattoo?? if anyone has a tattoo guide for Jenny lmk

your oversized nightshirt

she can just accidentally see into Jenny's THIRD FLOOR window from that close by in the alley and see what she's watching??

Good for Jenny, she is always straight up and says what she feels

I LOVE the backlighting bc even though this isn't a cartoon, Machine has such a good character silhouette. the obvious cardigan and loose skirt. the chunky mary Jane's. peak character design incredible shape language, looks fantastic with the cleaver.

Jenny is alive only because Maxine tripped on some shit and impaled herself. Holy fuck.

Maxine: overturns the fucking table

Crystal: um why are there flowers in here

they met up with those guys back at the school.

your gonna what?

I love the gloved hand drawing the bag all the way closed. like why does that make it look like they're about to make out in there. also the little melody that plays at that time!!

the random mix of warm and cool lights. okay.

I love that Charles can actualy talk about his feelings now!! that, and he and Crystal made up.

Ironic. worrying about being bad is what Edwin says means you're good, so do you then have to not worry? I mean, at least he tries.

What is Charles thinking when Edwin says he's the best person he knows? does he trust Edwin's opinion on that?

"let's get you sorted first" and then that little sniff. there's so much going on there.

Edwin was being pretty courteous by not making it about himself, but he also just want ready to talk about his shit yet. Charles might feel cared for, but he also might worry that Edwin can't come to him with this stuff anymore, but he is still respectful and A)asks about Edwin's feelings and B) doesn't press the issue

David wants to give Crystal a smooth brain!? is that what he said?

Also yeah. he seems really excited to eat some dumpster fish.

She wants to kill him.

why is the fog. glowing.

I mean, trust this show to always have some random-ass light source.

WHEE

so Monty must have met Charles and Edwin near the butcher shop, then Edwin went off with Monty and Charles saw whatever the fuck happened to Crystal. Well, it must have been some other time on the way, actually, because um. Edwin editor not have left of he saw the whole. Production. going on there.

"I have something to tell you" Monty is so fucking excited :(((

"I think it best of we stop seeing eachother" WHY. It's this, like. A Yue thing? He just thinks being around Monty is too confusing to deal with?

If Edwin thinks Monty isn't in love with him, then all he's doing is saying that he's in love with Charles. So why would he want to stop seeing Monty? If he DOES know Monty likes him, why would he draw it out so long and let himself be misconstrued?

I think that Edwin changes his mind about what to say literally as he says it. New territory for him, I'm sure.

Monty's voice is so sadd when he says baggage

Do you think Monty knew that Edwin wouldn't feel him?

while you don't want things to be awkward, then what? I hate when characters get cut off. I WANNA KNOW!!!

MUSIC

the songs in this show always match the vibe PERFECTLY!

Also Monty's FACE. I always say you can tell this is his first time with people feelings because he puts them ALL THE WAY on display.

He's sad bc Edwin doesn't like him back but he's also maybe upset that he failed Esther but also scared of what Esther will think/do and probably guilty for thinking about Esther instead of Edwin but also guilty for having feelings for Edwin both because of Edwin's reaction and bc of his mission and also hurt that Edwin doesn't live him back and also blindsided because he thought otherwise and like. there's so many things going on and none of them even really occurred to him before and he's thinking up every single one in succession and you can see it on his face.

NOT THE CAT EYES

#dead boy detectives #dbd netflix #about the dead boys

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jooniely · 1 year

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Jjk 219 thoughts

~Jjk 219 spoilers! ~

Some thoughts regarding this fight:

Not gonna lie. I think this fight should have been alot more serious. It didn't have the emotional punch in needed and the tone was odd. This is a major plot point happening and it didn't feel like it. The fight was an important one! But it didn't have tension or emotional impact.

I think the best way to fix that would have been to start with a flashback to show Megumi and tsumiki caring for each other and vow to themselves to protect the other. Then they get a sudden awareness and see their bodies fighting each other.

Now the fight itself should have been 2 tiered. On 1 tier we have sukuna and yorozu just fighting and we can keep their shallow/weird/horrible reasoning to do so cuz it would contrast so well with the second tier: tsumiki and Megumi. They should have been involved in the fight. Aware of everything and fighting hard to gain control, they don't wanna hurt or the kill their sibling! So we have the emotional heartbreaking fight happening with the siblings, juxtaposing the shallow violent fight with yorozu and sukuna.

The end of only sukuna winning would have the emotional impact we need. We might not care for yorozu but her loss would add to how dangerous Sukuna is which would build tension: how will anyone win against him? And then u also have the siblings both horrified and broken about what they have done and what happened. I think this way the original reason why so many of us loved jjk at the beginning would come back: the emotional, theme, and character focused story with cool fights blended perfectly to make the perfectly balanced story!

We still have next week's chapter to see how gege will finish off the fight cuz yorozu isn't fully dead yet and im theorizing that sukunas move of killing tsumiki and therefore burying Megumi might backfire and it might make him angry enough to fight back and gain control? Also we always have shadows connected to Megumi and he's deep in shadow right now so there's something that could happen with that? Idk tho cuz I honestly can't see where gege is taking the story at the moment.

I know early on in the series we had that "who'd win between gojo and fully powered sukuna" so we would assume the final fight is between them especially with how its also mentioned that a limitless/six eyes user and a ten shadows user previously fought but both died AND we had that hint that Megumi could reach gojo levels of powerful hinting a fight between them all basically pointing towards a final fight of gojo vs Megumi processed by sukuna. But honestly narratively and emotionally speaking: I think Megumi and itadori should face off against sukuna together to end him. They were wronged by sukuna the most and how poetic that the body made for him and the body he chose to steal are the ones who end him. (I know narratively speaking that there are a lot of hints placed that would mean gojo vs sukuna would happen but it would be a nice expectation subversion to not follow thru with that and focus on what would give the most emotional impact and satisfying ending)

I want to say that gojo should face off against kenjaku. Save his one and only where he failed to do so in the past but there were hints that yuta would fight him instead. Tho do we really wanna see a repeat of yuta vs geto when they don't have that connection gojo and geto have? Anyways this got long and its not even about this chapter anymore lol

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jjk manga spoilers #jjk spoilers #jjk 219 #jjk leaks #megumi fushiguro #fushiguro tsumiki #ryoumen sukuna #gojo satoru #jjk yorozu #yuta okkotsu #kenjaku #suguru geto #yuji itadori #jjk thoughts #jjk analysis #jjk review

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roseianxiety · 1 year

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Always You

Summary:As a young boy, Virgil often swooped in to save his geeky and timid childhood best friend, Roman, from his bullies. After years have passed without seeing each other, his friend has come home from abroad and now a completely different person than before, and ready to sweep Virgil off his feet. Virgil, of course, falls head over heels for the other.

AO3 - Part 2, Part 3

Content Warning: None

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Chapter Three

"Sweetie, you forgot to put sunblock on!"Roman's mom shouted at his twin, Remus, while she smeared sunblock cream onto his face. She then moves her attention back to Roman, "Stay still, Roman, I'm not done yet."She scolded him.

"But I wanna go play nowww!''Roman whined, making puppy dog eyes at his mother. His mother rolled her eyes at him before sighing. "Alright, fine, you can go. But be careful, alright?"She said, done with putting suncream on Roman. The child grinned happily then running off to find his best friend was just squatting by the shore.

"Whatcha doing?"Roman chirps, taking a peak over Virgil's shoulder to see what he was doing. Virgil jumps a bit at Roman's sudden appearance then turns around, his brown eyes meeting with Roman's hazel ones. "I found some sea glass."He says nonchalantly.

Roman raises a single eyebrow out of curiosity, "Sea glass? What's that?". He asked curiously. Virgil holds out a handful of sea glass towards Roman, "These are sea glass," He begins slowly, "They're made from broken glass bottles thrown at sea and like get all smoothed out by the sea and stuff throughout the years until it looks like a shiny crystal...". He rambles on, explaining to Roman about sea glass. Roman listens attentively and takes the sea glass pieces from Virgil's hand and inspects it closely.

"It's so pretty...''Roman mutters, eyes sparkling as he looks at the red sea glass. "Yah, it does look nice."Virgil agrees with him before suddenly remembering something important. "I forgot to mention, the red ones are pretty rare.".

Roman hums in understanding then turns his attention back to the sea glass, examining it in awe, "Where did you even find these, anyways?". He asks. Virgil shrugs. "Just by the shore.".

An idea then pops up in Roman's mind. "Let's go find more sea glass!"He exclaims excitedly, Virgil nodding in agreement. The two then dashed off to search more for sea glass and maybe some cool seashells too.

"Woww!! We found a lot!"Roman squealed, flapping his hands in excitement. Virgil nods, feeling a bit proud of himself for finding such beautiful treasures along with his best friend.

"Roman! Virgil! Come here for a second, sweeties."

Both Roman and Virgil's head turned when they heard their names being called. They immediately ran to their mothers who had called for them.

"What is it, mom?"Roman quickly questions his mom.

His mom smiles brightly as she shows them a camera, "I just remembered I brought a camera with us. Now stand close, I'm gonna take a picture of you cuties.".

The two kids nodded eagerly at her and positioned themselves beside each other, getting ready for their picture to be taken. They smiled happily at the camera, awaiting for Roman's mom to take a picture.

"You two look absolutely adorable!"Roman's mom squealed as she looked at the picture she took, Virgil's mom agreeing with her.

"Now run along, you two, and continue your game."Roman's mom giggles and shoos them off, Roman and Virgil running off to retrieve their found treasures once again.

They spent most of the day playing in the sea or finding more sea glass. By the time the sun was starting to set, their families were already packing up to leave.

Roman was fiddling with his bead bracelets while he waited in the car. He was quite upset that they had to go home now, he was going to miss his best friend. Well, technically Virgil lives across the street from him but that wasn't the case. His parents said that they were moving to Italy and living there with his grandparents and Roman wasn't that thrilled hearing it.

He was going to miss his hometown, his neighborhood, his school, his friends and especially his best friend. Roman was going to miss his best friend so much. He was sad that they weren't going to meet again. He didn't want to leave but he needed to.

Roman's thoughts were cut off when he heard knocking against the car window. He looks up and sees Virgil there, waving a little, waiting for him to open up the window.

Roman smiles widely when he sees him and he quickly gets up and quickly rolls down the car window. "Hey Vee, why are you here? I thought you already went home.".

Virgil shrugs, "Nah, mom's still packing up our stuff back in the car.". He then added, his expression changing. "Hey, I heard about the news... that you and your family are leaving by tomorrow.". A small frown formed on his lips as he spoke.

Roman nods at him, confirming his statement with a silent 'yeah'. He then notices Virgil's expression change even more. It looked like he wanted to say something more. "I'm going to miss you, Vee."Roman muttered sadly.

He had always been good friends with Virgil from the start. Even though he was younger, they grew up together and they knew each other for a long time.

"I'll miss you too, Ro. You'll come back, right?"Virgil replied, a soft hopefulness evident in his voice.

Roman stayed quiet for a bit, he didn't know what to answer his best friend's question. He wasn't even sure if they were going to come back.

"I will...".

He smiles at Virgil softly, the latter returning it to him as well. They stare at each other for a few seconds before Virgil looks away and fishes out something from his pocket. It was the red sea glass from earlier. "Here, you can have this.". Virgils hands it to Roman.

Roman's gaze softened, "Are you sure?", He asks him quietly. "Yeah. I want ya to have it."Virgil replies. "Okay." Roman whispered, accepting the small trinket. He shoves it in his pocket before quickly unlocking the car door, ushering Virgil to stand back for a bit as he gets out of the car.

Once he was out, he turned to Virgil and immediately pulled him in for a tight and loving hug, squeezing him tightly. "Promise me we'll be bestest friends forever and always, okay?"Roman whispers against his chest, hugging him tighter.

He hears Virgil laugh softly, "I promise.".

"I'll never forget you, Vee."

"I won't forget you too, Princey."

•=•

"Roman, perché stai facendo le valigie (Roman, why are you packing)!?"An old woman exclaims with slight frustration as she watches his grandson pace around his room and packing his stuff in boxes and suitcases.

Roman responds while he tries to close his filled suitcase, "Nonna, torno in America (Grandma, I'm going back to America).". He tells her as he zips his bag closed.

"Ma perché? (But why?)"His grandmother, or nonna, questions him in exasperation. "Non ti piace più qui (Do you not like it here anymore)?".

"No, nonna. I like it here in Italia but I have a dream to fulfill!''Roman exclaims passionately, facing his Nonna and grabbing her and twirling her around.

She chuckles in amusement at her grandson's behavior. "Si tratta di quel ragazzo? Virgilio, vero? (Is this about that boy? Virgil, was it?)". She inquires curiously.

Roman blushes slightly, "Sì, nonna. But it's Virgil, not Virgilio."He giggles slightly. His nonna merely rolled her eyes, playfully slapping him on the arm. "Ah, stessa cosa (Ah, same thing).".

"Ow, what's that for!?"

"Shush, Romano. Faresti meglio a portare qui quel ragazzo così posso conoscere il mio futuro nipote. (You better bring that boy here so I can meet my future grandson-in-law).".

Roman pouts slightly, he can't help but blush more at her nonna's statement. "He's just my best friend, nonna! E non chiamarmi Romano (And don't call me Romano).".

His nonna huffs before speaking in a matter-of-factly way while crossing her arms. "Non mentirmi, bambino. Ho visto come ti brillano gli occhi quando parli di lui (Don't lie to me, child. I've seen how your eyes sparkle when you talk about him).". That caused Roman to become into a sputtering mess.

"E allora come vuoi che ti chiami!? Romulus? (And what do you want me to call you then!? Romulus?)"The old lady snarked.

Roman crossed his own arms in annoyance, rolling his eyes at his nonna's response. "Ugh, you are insufferable sometimes, nonna!". His nonna simply laughs and waves him away, "Anyway, you continue packing while I go wake your brother.".

She leaves without giving him another chance to respond and Roman groans loudly as he slumps over, flopping onto his bed. He stares at the cream colored ceiling decorated with glow in the dark star stickers reminiscing his old memories of his childhood friend.

He missed him a lot. It has been years since they last contacted each other. The last time he could remember their interaction was years ago, back when he was fifteen. He wonders if Virgil already forgot about him. He hoped not.

Roman shook those thoughts away before sitting up on his bed, deciding to continue packing his things.

•=•

Roman stood in front of a door, hesitating if he was going to knock or not. He must admit, he was pretty nervous... Not that there was anything to be nervous about. Well, there is. Roman was nervous to finally see Virgil after all these years. He was nervous to see his childhood best friend, the man who set his heart with a passionate fire.

Roman takes a deep breath, raising his hand to knock on the door. After about 3,4 minutes later, the door opened revealing a man the same age as him or maybe older. His hair covered almost half of his face, he looked like he just came out of the shower. Virgil...

"Roman?"Virgil asked, looking surprised to see him there.

Roman's face brightened when the other still recognized him. "Virgil, is that you, mio amico!?''He cried out happily before pulling Virgil in a tight bear hug.

"I-I can't breathe."Virgil wheezed out. Roman gasps immediately let go of him as he realized he had squeezed Virgil before apologizing profusely.

As he tried to catch his breath, he heard Roman gasp and pull back, only then realizing that he was squeezing Virgil too tightly.

"Mi dispiace, sorry, Virge. I've missed you so much!"Roman exclaimed excitedly, still clutching Virgil by the shoulders. He indeed missed the other so much."It's nice to see you, too, Ro." Virgil replied softly as he looked up at Roman.

Roman realized just now that Virgil was shorter than him. Virgil used to be the one taller than him.

"Wow... uh, you've changed. A lot."Virgil commented as he observed Roman up and down. Roman notices a small blush spread on Virgil's cheeks. He wonders what caused that, the weather isn't even hot.

"O si, and so do you! You've grown as well! Though, not to offend, but why are you puny? You were so much taller than me."Roman said, cocking his head sideways. He noticed the faint blush on Virgil's cheeks deepen.

Virgil shrugged and averted his gaze from him. "I dunno, I guess I didn't have a growth spurt as much as you did.".

Before Roman could say another word, Mrs. Barret, Virgil's mom suddenly popped out of nowhere and completely interrupted them.

"Oh, Roman! You're finally here."She cheered happily before approaching the both of them. Roman smiled brightly at Mrs. Barret before taking a step forward and embracing her in a warm embrace for a bit.

"Good morning, Mrs. Barret. You look beautiful as ever."Roman greeted politely with a charming smile, pressing a soft kiss on the back of her hand. Mrs. Barret, chuckled lightly. "Such a sweet young man. You flatter me too much, child.". Roman flushes at the comment slightly.

"Anyway, brunch is ready. You two follow me to the kitchen."She said as she motioned Virgil and Roman after her and headed to the dining room.

"You know, you used to be timid and shy. What happened to that?"Virgil spoke softly as he glanced at Roman.

Roman looked at him and smiled, "Life changes people.". He was tempted to admit that he was the sole reason he changed himself for the better but stopped himself. Roman knew that would be reckless and he didn't want to ruin what was left of his friendship with Virgil.

"Yeah, I guess they do..."Virgil muttered before following after Roman. Roman smiles and turns his attention forwards.

--------------------------------------------------

Writing Taglist: @cutebisexualmess (please tell me if you want to be added or removed in the tag list)

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #roman sanders #virgil sanders #prinxiety #tss fanfic #ts roman #ts virgil #vee writes

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nilesmoon · 4 months

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Hi, I loved your post about the family vacation with Ichi and Sawashiro. And I'll just say that I didn't have a problem with Sawashiro's role in IW... until the very last second. Because they get a freaking helicopter for Kiryu, but no one even went to look if Sawashiro was ok?? They just leave him in the chair while tending to Kiryu. BOTH of them are dying.

Like holy shit, Ichi would have gone to him in a second. He would have stopped Ebina's monologue instead of just standing there without even knowing if he was alive or not. That was for me the most disrespectful moment. I loved how Ichi believed in him at the beginning of Chapter 10, and then I was expecting some kind of reunion at the end but he f*cks off to Hawaii, not even a "Please save the Captain" to Kiryu or anything. That's what made me the most mad

I really hope they pay us off in Y9, he better come back with a cool eyepatch and join the party

Omg I didn't really expect anyone to read that post let alone get an ask about it but I'm so glad that you loved it!! And huge same if he's not coming back as a party member or dying in a meaningful way, there's no point bringing that asshole back.

Me, being the Arakawa family tragedy enjoyer that I am, was overjoyed to see Sawashiro back for 8 and while he did have a few banger moments, the ending really did ruin it all for me. Me bitching abt it under the cut bc I need to puke out my anger Somewhere

Like I keep going back to think about how Ebina calls Ichi, tells him that he's got a bone to pick with him, tells him that he's holding Sawashiro captive bc what better bait to dangle in front of Ichi than the possibility of someone he cares for getting hurt??? And lets be real here the rest of the cast has no reason whatsoever to care about Sawashiro other than him being someone important to Ichi. (I think Tomi says something like 'i dont know this guy but if he's being used as bait he's gotta be important to you' iirc)

Then Kiryu walks in and is like "leave Ebina to me" bc Ebina's plotline is suddenly something personal Kiryu has to deal with??? (my feelings about kiryu being a protag in this game is a whole diff can of worms that I wont open rn but keep in mind how its mostly negative) So Ichi leaves that to him and doesn't really state what he's feeling about all the new info that gets dropped on him (this could be a 'Ichi putting others above himself' moment but i still hate it bc whats the point of Ebina's '''plot twist''' if Ichi was not even a part of it????)

And my god Sawashiro at that last scene. I think my live reaction of that scene is still on twitter where I just bitch for an hour. Even before the scene happened I was like "If they kill Sawashiro without Ichi present it'd make no sense. just like how killing Hanawa without Kiryu present was a Bad Choice".

When that chair turned... I think I tuned out the rest of Ebina's monologue bc I kept thinking the same 3 things: 1. none of this would've happened if sawashiro came with me to hawaii, 2. there's absolutely no reason for this to happen with This Cast (i dont think they even react outside of gasping or something) and 3. when will this masato clone wanna-be shut the fuck up so I can beat his face in (One thing I'll give to that chair scene was how it was a direct parallel to Hoshino's corpse. I think it was a very sexy thing rgg did.)

And then they're like "look!! he's not dead!!!" but at that point I was not sure if that was a 'last words' or a 'he's still alive!' moment. and I'm gonna be honest I Still Do Not know bc just like you said anon, NOONE DOES ANYTHING ABOUT HIM??? (nor about ebina for that matter) AND THEN THERES NO FOLLOW UP WHATSOEVER????? and all this makes me see it as sequel bait tbh

and I'm not even going into how he doesnt even get to meet Akane again. Thats a whole other topic on its own and I think I already typed out enough lol.

#thank you so much for this ask!! but also #IM SORRY I DIDNT WANT THIS TO BE A HATER MOMENT BUT I HAPPEN TO HAVE A LOT OF EMOTIONS FOR THIS ASSHOLE AND I AM. VERY UPSET :((#my haterisms for this game (mostly) stems from my immense love for these fuckass fictional characters #I need to force myself to finish writing this fic. its gonna be sort of an aftermath i needed w ichi & sawashiro.#I need to get it out of my system before it leaves me completely then there will be No Fic #answered #nile talks #iw spoilers #Infinite wealth spoilers

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aspiring-holistic-otaku · 8 months

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Season 2 Ramble# 8 - Sports!

As I hope you got from the title, this ramble focuses on sports in manga, but before I get into it, let me breakdown some things about how this is gonna go.

Firstly a little heads up for you and a little copout for me, the average sports manga tends to be a bit longer than other genres so I figured my usual sprint approach of picking up a bunch of titles and blitzing them wouldn't work. Instead I went for a kind of marathon type approach where I still read a bunch but didn't have completion on my mind as much as usual.

Pros and cons for this approach

pro - I was able to get in that much more diversity than I would otherwise. There's hella sports out there which makes for hella subject matter, each carrying its own unique perspectives that I'm really glad I got the chance to experience, and equally glad to try and share those experiences.

cons - I made the pro sound pretty grandiose but as I said, completion wasn't at the forefront of my mind as much this month, meaning there's quite a few titles I didn't get to finish, so with a lot of these reccs I'd have to say there's more than a grain of salt to keep in mind.

Second thing I want to get out the way are the elements I consider the most important in a sports manga, which I hope will give a little more context to the lists. In my mind the four most important elements for a sports manga are realism, teamwork, ego/drive to win & mindset/mentality. I speak on what those mean to me a bit more in the episode.

Moving on, the actual format of the episode is gonna have things I read this month in a triathlon type setup, meaning 3 categories/legs, closed out with a small award type ceremony thing, then after things read this month I'll speak a bit on my favourite sports manga read before this month.

And now without further ado, LET THE RACES BEGIN!

Things read this month

(first leg)

Uncompleted Incompletes {stuff I didn't finish reading and are still ongoing}

#3 Hajime no Ippo {by George Morikawa, read 49 out of the total 1434 chapters}

Seen this around for the longest time, usually see it called the top 1 boxing manga in more than a few circles, and again for more than a few I've seen it called the top 1 sports manga overall. All that being said the reason a self proclaimed aspiring holistic otaku like myself hasn't read it before now is due to its extreme length.. roughly 1.4k chapters and counting…. just couldn't see myself devoting all that time to what I figured could be summed up in one word, boxing.

That being said, I figured that even if I wasn't going to finish or even put a dent in it, now was the time to bite the bullet and as you can tell from its placing I'm glad I did.

The story follows ippo, a bullied highschooler who is one day saved by a passerby boxer. In awe of his strength, ippo decides to join his gym and try to get stronger. Simple and common enough baseline story, mainly driven by ippo's growth which is tied to his mentality, as ippo is naturally a timid guy but his earnesty towards bettering himself makes those around him, including me the reader, want to support him.

Cool cast so far from his gym mates to opponents, all contributing to a pretty good balance of serious and funny moments. So far the art has generally been pretty good, the only slight gripe I have at this point is I find the mc pretty meh.. like he's endearing but like in that way any kid trying out a sport seems where you just wanna tell em good job no matter what.

In any case I only read 49 chapters so huge grain of salt, though I imagine that both ippo and the cast must develop in a bunch of ways over 1000+ chapters

side note Kentarou Miura, creator of berserk was an assistant on this manga for some time, rip the legend one time every time

#2 Yowamushi Pedal {by Wataru Watanabe, I read 114 out of total 486 chapter count, btw in Brazilian it's up to 700+ }

Literally like maybe 1 or 3 people I know have ever mentioned this to me, 1 of whose taste I couldn't really trust, the second literally cycled everywhere n wore that bodysuit type thing to school which kinda put me off the whole thing and I'm pretty sure the third is a figment of my imagination.. so this series never really had any pull innate or otherwise + I figured it could be summed up into "dude rides a bicycle" which again unlike boxing doesn't really have any appeal with just that.

In any case I'm so so glad I picked this up, grabbed me from chapter 1 and honestly had a hard time putting it down.

the story here centers around sakamichi, a freshman highschool student who wants to make an anime club so he can make friends. This is a cycling manga so unfortunately for my guy that didn't pan out well for him but due to some plot I don't want to spoil he ends up in the cycling club and yes he does make friends.

Great mc but that's probably weeb bias, great main cast nonetheless, the teamwork stands out fr like I didn't know how cycling could be a team sport but it is, and I love that even though they're all on the same team most of them have a drive to be the best which works out in an iron sharpens iron kind of way. The mentality of a cyclist was also really cool like with boxing or more physical sports it's easy to grasp that you have to ready yourself to take a hit but in cycling they got into the flexibility and perseverance you need to keep pedaling no matter where you are and the sights you'll be able to see because of that. Great art, very scenic as they're riding all over the place and though I've only read about a quarter it's definitely something I'd highly and heartily recommend.

#1 Giant Killing {with Masaya Tsunamoto doing the story and Tsujitomo on art, read 84 out of the 514 chapters}

This is a soccer manga. Now you may have noticed a trend here where I haven't thought much of some manga and then ended up liking it, well that's because in general I don't like sports,, well I enjoy playing but not so much watching.. except table tennis and maybe basketball but anyways that trend pretty much continues here. straight out the bat I'll say I don't care for football or soccer or whatever you wanna call it but man this manga.

The story is that an already failing football club now finds themselves in need of a new coach after theirs left them, and so some managerial staff track down a former star player for the club who they heard now coaches small town football sides in England.

Kind of a slow start with them finding the coach and him settling in and everything but it sets solid groundwork which builds into great main and wider cast dynamics. This is one of my favourite things about this manga, it offers solid perspective and narratives from the coaching staff, managerial staff, the players on and off the pitch and even fans and journalist. Never seen a sports manga so thoroughly build out its world. The art was an interesting style but it does a great job of illustrating the dynamicism of play mixed with solitary key moments which makes me feel like I'm watching a slowmo highlight.

Very real feel in a lot of respects and I really appreciated that despite the name they don't just go around making upset wins. They win and lose their fair share but always kept me engaged. #1 on this leg but not something I think is for everybody, especially if you're not a sports fan but if you are a sports fan, especially a soccer fan, I think this will be one of your favourites.

hm: MF GHOST(initial d sequel), Ao Ashi(soccer)

(leg #2)

Completed Incompletes {finished reading but still ongoing or just not fully translated as is the case for everything here}

#3 SK8R'S {by Hajime Tojitsuki, read 9 out of the total 18 chapters}

This is all about street skating, not much to say with only 9 chapters but it just looked really cool

Anyways the story is that a kid happened to see a dude skating one day and he did one of those jump tricks and he was hooked.

Average art but it's pretty dope when they do full spreads and tricks. Again not much chapters so not much to say but I really hope the rest gets translated.

#2 Tsubame Tipoff {by Hiroya Watanuki, read 40 out of total 50 chapter count}

This pulled me in because women's basketball and I'm always a slut for new perspectives.

The story here is a tall but uncoordinated freshman finds her short but extremely athletic upperclassman cute so she joins the basketball team to get closer to her... Now I'm not gonna call her gay but she be blushing like crazy... In any case the art is pretty solid, really cool cast, not sure if I thought that just cause of the relative novelty of a girl's basketball team in manga but they were just pretty cool.

what I read was pretty good and again I would really love if the rest of the chapters got translated.. maybe I'll just learn Chinese idk..

#1 Break Shot {by Takeshi Maekawa, read 84 out of the total 152 chapter count}

This is a manga about billiards which I think is different from pool but I didn't look it up so I'm gonna play it safe and stick to billiards

The story here is that the student council wants to shut down the billiards club because they only have one member who is our mc, chinmi. He tries to negotiate and they tell him if he wants to keep the club he has to show some record of notable achievement or skill, so he enters a tournament with his club on the line.

The billiards pulled me in and as expected there was some unreal stuff to keep it interesting like a dude who has a special shot that breaks the cue ball on purpose and uses the force of the shratnel to pocket multiple balls… like come on… he's a highschool student for one like come on… but outside stuff like that I really like how they framed a billiards game as a puzzle where your skill is actually more a reflection of intellect, in being able to make a pocket or stop your opponent from doing so. also loved the art like it's old but it's the kind of old school charm that gives a Sunday morning cartoon vibe and I'm not sure if it's because of the subject being billiards but it felt really smooth and classy.

Billiards is a singles competition but they were able to create an element of teamwork through rivalry which was cool and I kind of already spoke on the mentality through their framing of the game as a puzzle. To solve the puzzle they really had to think on their feet. Ego and stuff was definitely there and again I really really want this to be translated. In any case I highly recommend this one.

hm: Dogsred(about hockey by the creator of golden kamuy), Mongrel (mma)

(and the last leg of things read this month)

Completed Completes {finished reading, finished publishing}

#3 moon land {by Sai Yamagishi, 98 chapters}

This is about gymnastics and I didn't think I'd be interested + I'd never even heard of it before but this was recommended to me by Jen who I had on last episode and from its placing you can tell I enjoyed it. This is why I trust Jen and even had her on the show, shout out Jen every time

The story is basically that the mc mitsuki is really good at gymnastics because of strong fundamentals but he had no flair. the main thing is that it presents gymnastics as an expression of self and mitsuki aims to be able to move his body the way he wants to, in other words freedom.

The art is kind of meh in general but ofc they step up in spreads and stuff, great teamwork, ego and mentality stuff, more of that iron sharpens iron effect I like, kind of felt like the ending was rushed but it was an unexpectedly nice journey. they really took the time to educate about gymnastics which i appreciated and I feel like I'm underselling but it really was cool.

#2 Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji {Nobuyuki Fukumoto, 158 chapter}

Had actually tried another manga by this guy called Akagi hoping to learn the rules for mahjong but they didn't care to explain the rules and it wasn't super well translated so I couldn't really keep up despite how cool the mc seemed.

In any case the quirkiness of his art style is what really drew me in so I picked up kaiji instead and it turned out to be really good.

The story here is kaiji, the mc is pretty much living a garbage life which gets worse when a debt collector comes and tells him a friend of his ran off on a debt kaiji was the guarantor on. the debt is in the tens of millions which he clearly doesn't have but the collector tells him there's a once in a lifetime opportunity happening soon, and offers kaiji a ticket onto a ship to play games and win enough money to clear his debt in one night.

I guess this is where the question of whether or not gambling is a sport would arise but 1) it's my list and 2) they are competing according to set rules for a prize so that's that.

Anyways this was closer to my preferred tastes with the darker, more critical view of #society and stuff, which is seen in how teamwork was kinda nonexistent or fleeting at best but the mentality needed to win or even just survive was strong.

Really liked the mc, lots of growth in a short amount of time but in any case I'd recommend this one for sure, especially with the recent wave of squid games and stuff like that… it's not squid games but just if you liked that you'll probably like this..

#1 One Outs {Shinobu Kaitani, 175 chapters}

I think the full title is actually One Outs, nobody wins but I which is just super cool especially as you see how the story unfolds but yh.

The story here is that tokuchi toua is a professional gambler that dedicates most of his time to a tweaked baseball game called one outs. In this game the pitcher must get 3 strikes to win but all the batter has to do is hit the ball past the infield for a win, yet in 499 matches toua has never lost. Due to some plot stuff I don't want to spoil he ends up getting involved with the main japanese baseball league and basically the owner of his team doesn't like him, so tokuchi baits him into a contract unfavourable to himself where he gets paid 50 mill for each strike out but has to pay 500 mill for every run scored on him. The owner didn't believe his 499 streak record held much weight so he accepts.

The people he's playing with or against don't know anything about this and they're all pros so his skills are definitely tested fr. It's hard to explain how mind games comes into play but just trust this guy basically turns a sports manga into a psychological thriller which was just amazing.

Highly recommend, I didn't really know anything about baseball, still don't really but man. nothing but praise tbh.

hm: aoiro ping pong, and **mighty girl(baseball)

{in the episode I mention some other stuff I was reading and would also recommend but felt they out would be too contrived or too much grains of salt due to how the small percentage of their total chapter counts I got to read despite how much I enjoyed them but you can check my anilist to see

{in the actual episode I name black box as the second honorable mention. but that was a mistake probably due to it and mighty girl having the same author idkidk but mighty girl was better}

}

if you're interested you can listen in to the episode for the small awards ceremony thing that would be here but in this writeup I'm just going to move along

Things read before this month

not as much detail as before cause spoken on most of these before plus nowadays in think more attention sound be given to newer reads but anyways

#3 Eyeshield 21{Riichirou Inagaki story and Yusuke Murata, read/333 chapters}

American football focused. really really good. has been in my top 3 sports manga for like a decade now.

#2 Ping Pong{created by Taiyou Matsumoto, 55 chapters}

Table Tennis focused. spoken on before in detail in Season 1 Ramble#10 and was #4 in its section + became my #3 read overall last year. So good I actually took the time to watch the anime this month.

#1 Rookies {Morita Masanori, 233 chapters}

Delinquents playing baseball. Top 1 in Sesson 2 Ramble#6, #2 in Season 1 Ramble#12 delinquency and #3 in the very first real ramble Season 1 Ramble#1 which is where I spoke on it with the most detail.

hm: Usugoi(peak gambling), HAPPY!(lawn tennis by naoki urasawa)

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nhi-theuser · 23 days

Text

One Piece Book Club: Chapters 1-3

Chapter 1:

Yippie!!!! One Piece begins with everyone’s favorite execution😁😁

New guy: Gold Roger, who is instantly executed lmaoooo

Our first look at Luffy!

New guy: Red Haired Shanks, who, presumably, has red hair

Luffy wants to be a pirate but he’s a little goober who can’t swim yet, approx 7 years old I think

New guy: Shanks’ first mate(unnamed so far)

They’re all pretty cool so far ngl

New guy: Makino! She’s the barmaid!! And Luffy puts everything on a treasure tab it seems. Also! Makino is very strong!! Look at that barrel of beer! (She’s holding a barrel labeled beer when introduced) A barrel of liquid is Not light

LUFFY YOU IDIOT WHAT ARE YOU EATING <- (i know exactly what he ate)

New guy: Higuma, some kind of bandit who loves terrorizing normal civilians

I think this line is really funny given Luffy exclusively has like crazy ass people as role models(to me)

I wanted to mention really quickly—but shanks got hit over the head with a glass bottle, which in real life is typically a life threatening attack. Realism is irrelevant given that this is one piece, but things like this are too common and underemphasized in media, so I wanted to bring it up in the off chance someone got the bright idea to recreate that move irl. Be careful not to kill people!!! It’s worryingly easy!!

Rest of the chapter goes something like this: Luffy defends shanks and his crews honor against higuma and gets beat for it, and the shanks and his crew pull of to stop that!!

Luffy gets snatched and eventually dropped into the sea, about to get eaten by a sea monster when shanks turns up and quite literally glares at it until it fucks off. Unfortunately, shanks lost an arm during the ordeal. Fortunately, Luffy gains a hat!

Ten year timeskip finds Luffy sailing away to become a pirate in his own!

Chapter 2:

Ah.

LUFFY ARE YOU ACTUALLY TWEAKING RN THATS GONNA KILL YOU

New guy: Lady Alvida of the… pirate ship. I’ll get back to you when I find out the name of the crew

New guy: Koby! My traumatized little guy!! No spine whatsoever but I think that’s a trauma response😁

New guy mention: Roronoa… Zolo. Because the translation hasn’t been updated I guess. Like, you know, just the official translation that I’ve been reading legally.

KOBY WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU😭 YOURE TOO TRAUMATIZED TO USE YOUR OWN GETAWAY BOAT😭😭😭

Luffy they’d never make me hate on your dreams (doesn’t mean I won’t hate on you though be prepared <3)

Rest of chapter is Koby being like “I wanna be a Marine!” And alvida pulls up like “🤨😡you wanna do what?? You said you were gonna capture ME?!” And then luffy punches her and makes the other crew give him and koby a little boat to sail away (we also get quick lore that to get/find the one piece you gotta go to the grand line, which people refer to as the pirates graveyard)

Chapter 3:

Luffy and koby pull up at the marine town where ‘zolo’ is located, and have a quick meal cause food is important yeah.

This combination of panels is insane😭

“Maybe they just got carried away” listen little bro(this statement is funny for meta reasons) but that is a crazy ass assumption😭😭 like the thought process is genuinely interesting though yk like “oh, they reacted like crazy when hearing about the scary guy! Maybe they went overboard and also reacted hearing about the captain morgan guy”

New guy: Captain Morgan!! Some random guy that’s running the show in this town apparently

New guy:(officially) Roronoa Zoro! That very first panel of him the page before his full body that’s a partial side profile goes hard as hell, super menacing frfr

Also he’s like strung up like a more normal (“normal”) version of like idk jesus getting crucified?? I don’t know why I was thinking of it but??? Something about it feels like it’s supposed to be symbolic of something but I have a hard time displaying media literacy during first reads so let me come back to this one after witnessing parallels or something thanks gang

Zoro says he’s been up there for nine days!😟 which would kill a normal person I’m pretty sure because dehydration kills after like three days.. I’ve heard of cases where people can survive longer under very specific circumstances but that’s neither here nor there, bro looks like he has a head wound and a line of blood out the corner of his mouth so like realism for the loss lmao

New guy: little girl! Who I don’t know the name of, but she’s trying to feed Zoro and has a very kindness aura, though I would probably use a different word if I could recall a better one

New guy: Helmeppo, some guy with like an evil version of a Karen cut and the son of captain morgan. Bro is an ass stomping on that little girls food just because she made it weird😭😭

Yk what I AM seeing parallels but between all these panels where the background whites out and its two people (one of which is always Luffy) let me cook real quick I’ll come up with something later on trust trust

Also Luffy is wild, it’s so so interesting that he’s trying to decide if Zoro should join or not due to his having a bad reputation, makes it interesting to see his psychology regarding life as a pirate. He sees piracy as freedom to chase dreams and happiness and stuff, while most others perceive it as the ability to evade the law and do illegal acts/crime as you please

Zoro displaying good character as Luffy casually is so funny for no reason—though quick mention it’s pretty interesting that to me from my general perception of Luffy is that he’d like to eat anything, though food stomped into the ground is a reasonable line, just interesting given, again, his I’ll eat very many things attitude

Luffy tells the little girl Zoro ate the food she made for him and has a quick chat with her and koby about being good and stuff, and Luffy later punches Helmeppo after he(helmeppo) declares he was super lying about making a deal with Zoro to free him

Luffy declares he wants Zoro on his crew!!

Chapter 1-3 summary and thoughts:

- Luffy backstory where he gets devil fruit powers and how he got his hat from shanks

- Luffy meets Koby(wants to be a marine as his dream), saves him from alvida, and pulls up at a marine town

- Enter Zoro! Luffy decides he wants Zoro on his crew after judging him to be a good character and witnessing what it’s like in the marine town

Not much to say that I haven’t already, but I like it a lot! Pacing is pretty fast given the reputation regarding the length of one piece, if I had no clue what was to follow from this point, I’d claim it(the pacing) similar to that of CSM, but, yeah we all know lol.

Be back next time to commentate on the next couple chapters!

#I reenacted the shanks and Luffy hat scene with an upperclassman today lmao #because he’s graduating and it’d be the last time I’d see him assuming I can’t find him at the actual graduation #anyways!!#chapter-review.nhi #OP-bookclub.nhi #Chapter 1-3 #one piece #One Piece Book Club #<- in case others are actually reading along—this tag can be used for general purposes #Romance Dawn Arc

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qqtahng · 1 year

Text

im going to put some octo2 thoughts here now that i’ve had time to digest it. there will be spoilers

overall i think i liked octo2 as a game more than 1. im sad they (understandably) changed some (kinda broken) mechanics from the first game (sp steal/share on thief and tomahawk nerf..............), but we got some great qol updates, like no more purple chests and the hunter’s monster system got LEAGUES better. all the jobs got more powerful overall despite them nerfing some aspects (i dunno if like a 1.5/1.5 turn kill on galdera was possible in the first game....... insane), the new parts were so fun to use (vengeful blade!!!!!!! arcanist as a whole!!! aaa!!!)

the music and art too oh my goddd. i didnt think it could get better but somehow it DID and i just. its amazing, aesthetically, on all fronts. yasunori nishiki could tell me to kms rn and i would. gladly. for all the work he put into the ost. just, chefs kiss. i dunno what else to say.

love love love the new travelers tho. they’re all very colorful and whlie i do like some more than others (hi tem, hi castti) i cant say i actively dislike any of them. thats not much different from the first game.

the writing was overall more enjoyable than 1 too imo, tho i dont get why they had the split route thing when they had progression recommendations for them anyway and it ended up being like... not much of a choice. the crossed paths were really nice. it would’ve been a Lot of work but i wish we had one for every combination of traveler rip. throne and tems was so good tho, definitely my fave of the bunch.

that aside im not gonna lie, i did not vibe w hikari partitio or agnea’s stories very much.

hikari’s story i think just did not fit the 5 chapter format very well. it felt really rushed to me and like it didnt have much depth to it. it was serviceable but didnt feel exciting to me.

paritio’s was... idk it felt a little repetitive?? hes a funny guy i like him but i think his goals were just a little too mundane and also global to be very interesting. like compare “i wanna get rid of poverty” to “im on a journey to unravel the mystery of who i once was”. like one of those is more intriguing and believable :/

agnea’s just felt way too low stakes compared to everyone else’s. i did see someone point out that the game might’ve felt a little too dark without it, which is... fair?? i guess?? the first game was also pretty dark it just took a little while longer to see compared to like, half the cast having a murder happen in their ch1. anyway, my girl just did not have an interesting story arc. it was all “i wanna be FAMOUS” without very many trials and tribulations tbh. not enough character struggle for me personally.

the final chapter was interesting. it was really cool to see everyone band together narratively to fight vide. mechanically, i also thought vide’s fight was cool as shit. all 8 on the field at once!! wow!! i do think the first game tied everyone in to the Big Bad better tho. bc like, wtf are u doing making fucking *npcs* the relevant ones from agnea and partitio’s stories?? like even in the first game the traveler’s that had weak ties to galdera’s revival were still like... idk it was still *them* and it was formative to their characters?? we have a reason to like graham via alfyn, and a reason as to why hes important via tressa, arguably 2 of the most indirect ties to galdera in 1 imo--graham also inspired alf to save others, and his journal eventually helped tressa learn the value of things that arent contemporarily accepted as treasure. idk i also felt like ori’s personality switch was so last minute. same for tanzy’s backstory tho the tragedy as to why she would follow through makes more sense. neither of them really had any impact on their respective traveler’s character either. like they didnt do anything to change their goals or personality. very weak.

i also dont know wtf was up w that alfred hornburg thing. like hello??? wtf are YOU doing here sir, u have gone and messed up my placing of the game in the series timeline/universe

but yeah. that last little bit of negativity aside, octo2 kinda just does what the first one did but better in most aspects. great game would recommend if u played the first. if the first didnt vibe w u, maybe would rec if u didnt vibe w the first bc the second is less frustrating mechanically.

#ungracefulness #i do think positively on the game but i do elaborate a lot of my complaints here #i still love this game to bits

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gold-pavilion · 2 years

Text

About TR chapter 222 and translation work on this one Draken line

'Cause I can't be the only one super confused about different ways Draken's words are translated.

Kicking off with the line in question right away. This english version is part of a translation from me n Al for friends who are catching up with the manga.

All available eng translations we found of this chapter at the time had this one line as "I really liked that guy" and, whatever I'll sound like here, I don't… understand why, tbh; it's just not what he's saying. So I’d like to talk about that a bit, along with some of what translation and differences in word choice entail.

(And I'll make a note here before anything else: discussing this I don't intend any ill will or anything to the translators that work hard and steady at the TR releases, they're all hella cool! This is only a language/translation talk of interest to me!!)

Let’s check out the original.

Now, to start with the simplest clarification: this sentence is not in past tense in jp.

大好きだ/daisukida is present tense, with だ/da being the informal vers of the です/desu particle. No two-ways around that; it's a simple, present tense statement. As for the rest, well, that's the thing.

There are 3 main words to state love in jp; you've got すき/suki, which is what characters use in most romance stories to confess (an "I love"), then this 大好き/daisuki which is kind of an emphasized version (maybe "really love" or "love a lot"), then a 3rd deeply serious one that's culturally lots to get into.

To contextualize, when Draken talked about Emma at her funeral, he used the first one and said 好きだった (translated as "I loved her", naturally past tense).

And that's absolutely what I would've used too! This english "loved" was the right equivalent, that the reader can exercise fair interpretation with if they wanna view it as a deep friendly/protective type thing, I suppose, but it's frankly gonna sound romantic. I wouldn't have toned it down to "like" at all, and that seems to be the consensus among TR translators too.

But in the case of Draken talking about Mikey and using a stronger word, that's where I don't see reason to water "love" down to "like".

Again, readers can exercise interpretation to their liking, on what Draken means when saying he loves Mikey, but the words are what they are; they were very much intense words, and in the context of him laying there knowing he's dying and pouring his heart out, impactfully delivered.

I feel like there's a high chance discussing this can be discarded as shipping-brained in some way, though to me it's Draken-brained, conveying the character-brained, translation-brained.

What's the exact nature of Draken's feelings for Emma? None of my business to judge. And for Mikey? None of my business to define. In the role of a translator, my business is what he SAYS: "I loved her" + "I really love him". So I just make sure to convey his words faithfully.

But why does working on this line matter anyway? Differences in translation are expected, always. Translation isn't an objective exact science and it would just be a bother to be nitpicking word choices all the time. Heck, I've gone to TOWN working on other lines too, in this same chapter, trying to get the meaning across with the right wording in ways that probably differ a TON from other versions, like here:

But,

I think that when a character is expressing something important about themselves and their relationships, those lines should be handled with special care, because they're gonna define the character itself and how the readers know them, as is the case with this huge moment. Draken has had a huge, emotional journey, with a really defining last 2 years; his final words carry the weight of absolutely all of it.

I can also say that in a manga like TR, where queerness is a thing that the author works with (bisexuality in particular, funnily), preserving emotional relationships matters for other reasons too, regardless of where anybody stands in tastes and opinions on the subject. But that's a whole other thing on its own.

Again, no bad faith intended towards translators whose work I love, just thinking about translation and character stuff out loud. Eng readers might find the differences interesting too, and perhaps make another degree of sense of Draken’s final talk with Takemichi like this, that's about it.

Full chapter 222 personal translation here in case anyone’s curious. Thanks for reading and come stan Draken!!

#tokyo revengers #tokyo rev #draken #ryuguji ken #mikey #sano manjiro #my translation stuff #thoughts and talk and so #god i wanna have tokyorev moots so badddd #need to talk about this series so much

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serendipitous-magic · 3 years

Note

What is your writing advice for young people who want to write fanfiction and original stories in the near future?

If this is just Way Too Much, skip to the end (#16). My most important piece of advice is there. I also happen to think #5 is pretty good.

-_-_-_-

1) Literally just write. Write whatever you want, and do a lot of it.

_-_

2) You don’t have to post everything. In fact you don’t have to post anything. You can, don’t get me wrong, but it can be intimidating to sit down and think “I will now write something that other people will see and read and judge with their eyeballs.” Because that’s probably gonna lead to nerves and writer's block. Just write down the ideas that you have, the things you want to write, whatever’s in your brain that you want to explore and expand upon and make into something. And then if you want to, share it. Or don’t share it. I have plenty of half-baked ideas and documents and random story chapters and shit hidden away on my Google Drive that will never see the light of day, for a whole number of reasons. I wanted to write it but it wasn’t ~Spicy~ enough to warrant posting, or it’s only like an eighth of a good idea, or it’s like one scene with no story around it, or it’s just something incredibly self-indulgent I just wanted to write for my own enjoyment.

Point being, don’t write for other people. Don’t write so that other people can read it; write what you want, write for yourself, and then if you want to share it, do.

_-_

3) You can pretty much ignore any and all of these for fanfiction. In fact, you can ignore pretty much any rules or guidelines you want for fanfiction. Fanfic is a sandbox. You don’t have to be a “professional writer” to post fic. No one expects you to be Stephen King or Margaret Atwood. Fanfic is just for playing in a fandom and having fun. If you wanna write a 50 chapter slow burn with very little plot aside from the OTP slowly getting to know each other, and no real stakes or central conflict, I guarantee people would read that. Really, fanfiction is the Old West of writing: lawless, wild, unpredictable, and free.

However, here are the rules you must follow:

-Separate your paragraphs. (I’m sure you know this already, but I’m gonna say it anyway just in case.) Do not post one big block of text. Make a paragraph break when someone new is talking, when the characters are in a new place, when a new event occurs that changes the scene, when a chunk of time has passed, and when there’s a major change in subject.

-I know it’s obvious, but... grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. They exist to make writing easy for readers to read, and more people will read your stuff if they don’t have to stop and try to figure out what you meant.

-Use tags and labels, as is possible with whatever site you’re using. Especially if you include possibly triggering content in your story. Again, I know it’s obvious, but it’s common courtesy. Bonus: tagging the themes and content of your story helps readers find it and read it :)

-If possible, limit the use of all-caps and exclamation marks / question marks. 99% of the time, one ! or one ? will do. If you overload the page with a lot of all-caps and long rows of exclamation marks or question marks, it hampers readability.

... That’s literally all I can think of. And, like I said, it’s all pretty basic stuff. You were probably rolling your eyes like, “Uh, yeah, Gwen, I know.” But that’s literally it. You can pretty much do whatever you want in fanfic.

That being said, here’s my advice for both fanfiction and original work...

_-_

4) A quick and dirty rule for coming up with a plot, starting a story, keeping up pacing, or maintaining tension: figure out what dreams, desires, and goals are nearest and dearest to your main character’s heart (see #16). Then set up the main conflict to be directly in opposition to that goal. It doesn’t have to be in a tangible way, though it could be. But, if your main character wants more than anything to reach the ships on the southern coast of your world and sail to a new life, make sure the main conflict immediately prevents them from doing that - in fact, make sure to send them north. If your main character just wants to keep their loved ones safe, kidnap the loved ones. If your main character just wants to date their best-friend-turned-crush, make sure they think they have no chance - or, make them cocky about it, and make sure it makes Person B determined not to ever like them. You get it. Figure out what your character most wants, and then keep them from having that. Boom - your conflict now ties in with your character's motivation. It's like instant yeast for plots.

_-_

5) If you’re anything like me, you want your first draft to be Good, despite all that advice about how the first draft doesn’t have to be good and it’s just to get words on the page, yadda yadda. And if you’re somewhat of a perfectionist (like myself), it’s easy to get stuck looking at a blank page because you don’t have The Perfect Words, and you want what you write to be Good the first time.

Here’s how I cheat that:

Instead of trying to write a Good First Draft from a blank page, hit the enter key a few times, skip a little down on the page, change your ink to red (or blue, or whatever - just something immediately identifiable as Not Black) and just thought vomit. Write whatever the hell you’re thinking, exactly as you think it. Don’t worry about it being readable, don’t worry about narrative flow for now, don’t worry about covering all the details, don’t worry about anything except either a) getting all the details of your idea out onto the page, whether that’s a lot or whether it’s just a sentence or two, or b) if you don’t have an idea yet, finding your way there.

Because this method is also very good for finding your way to ideas when you’re stuck in writer’s block.

Because of how human brains work, getting this stuff out onto the page - in all its messy, stream-of-consciousness glory - will likely spark more thoughts. As you write your original idea about the scene, it’ll likely spark more ideas. Creation begets creation. If you just start thought-vomiting your ideas onto the page, chances are you’ll think of more things as you go, and you’ll start filling out description or dialogue or tone or action or whatever, and pretty soon the scene starts writing itself.

Not sure where you’re going with the scene or which ideas you wanna use? Use a lot of ambivalent language in your “thought-vomit draft.” My pre-writing notes are chock-full of the words “maybe,” “perhaps,” and the phrases, “At some point...” and “...or something like that.” In this way, I don’t tie myself down to one idea; it’s just an idea, and I’m keeping it on the page in case I use it, but I might chuck it in the trash or change it or whatever.

And then, once your ideas for the scene (or story, or chapter, or whatever) are on the page, then go back to the top and start translating them into a “real” first draft. Use black ink, and start copy-pasting chunks of the thought-vomit up into the top part of the document and translating them into Draft 1. Separate out paragraphs where paragraph breaks should be. Add the correct punctuation and whatnot. Change “describe the lobby here - include potted plants, fancy carpet, blood stain, etc.” into an actual description of the lobby. Flesh it out, or condense, or whatever it needs. And if you’re still stuck, change back to red ink and ramble some more until you find a path that feels right, then plug that in. This keeps you from looking at a blank page, and it allows you to generate a kind of Draft 0.5, somewhere between a plan and a first draft.

You don’t have to use every idea. Like I said, jot down whatever comes to mind, put a “maybe” before or after it, and keep working. If the idea grabs you and you wanna keep expanding on it and exploring it, cool. If you just wanna jot it down so you don’t forget it and then move on, also cool. Red-ink draft / “thought-vomit draft” is your time to jump around in the timeline, add or finesse details at whatever point your brain moves to, etc. Don’t try to do it exactly in story order, because you will get tangential thoughts and ideas, and you will not remember to write them down five pages later when you finally get to taking notes on that scene. Trust me. On that note...

_-_

6) Write everything down the moment you think of it. Seriously.

“I’ll remember it when I get around to writing that scene in a couple days / weeks / months (/years).”

You won’t.

Write it down.

Phone, journal, google docs - hell, my family regularly laughs at me for grabbing a napkin during dinner and scribbling thoughts down alongside pasta sauce stains.

And then, once you have it written down somewhere...

_-_

7) Consolidate your writing ideas in one place.

Maybe this isn’t really your style, and that’s totally chill.

Buuuut, if you’re Type-A like me - or if you tend to be somewhat unorganized and you know you’ll lose track of your writing notes if they’re scattered across multiple notebooks, journals, napkins, phone notes, etc. - having one consolidated document of notes is a life saver. I keep mine on Google Docs so I can access it, add to it, and look through it for inspiration anywhere at any time. When I have one of those Shower Thoughts that I jot down on my phone or on a napkin during dinner, I set myself a reminder on my phone to type it up in my Story Ideas document later.

(Or, if the idea I had was for a story of mine that I’ve already started planning / drafting / whatever, I put it in the document for that story instead of the Big Random Story Ideas doc. You get it.)

_-_

8) Have other ways to collect and save writing ideas, besides just writing stuff down. If you like Pinterest, make pinterest boards of your characters or stories or settings or whatever. If you’re big into playlists, make a playlist for your character / setting / story / etc. Or both. Or something else. I’m not good at drawing, but maybe you are, and maybe you like to draw your ideas. Whatever form it takes, having another way to save ideas and think about your stories is invaluable.

_-_

9) Some writers can just start writing with no idea where the story is going, and they just kind of figure it out as they go. I envy those writers. And I do that sometimes for fanfiction, where the stakes are somewhat lower and the audience is reading more for scene-to-scene enjoyment (and to see their OTP kiss) than for a Driving And Compelling Narrative.

But here’s the thing: especially if you’re just kind of starting out, writing without some sort of plan is really, really hard, and will likely lead you into a slow, meandering narrative that will likely frustrate you.

Even if you think you’re someone that just can’t write with a plan (and again, I have the highest respect for pansters out there - I don’t know how you do it, you crazy bastards, but you keep doing you) - even if you think “I can’t work with plans, they’re too prescriptive, I just want to write and see what happens -”

Try at least making the most skeletal of plans.

Even if you have no clue what 90% of the story is, yet. That’s fine. But you need to have some idea of what you’re building to, even if that’s nothing more specific than a feeling, or a turning point for your character. Even if your entire plan for everything beyond Chapter 1 is, “At some point, Charlie needs to realize that Ed was lying to her.”

This is where those Draft 0.5 notes come in handy. Because, more than likely, working on your current scene that way will spark ideas for later scenes, which you can put down at the bottom of the document and save for when they become relevant. In my experience, the line between planning ahead and making a Draft 0.5 is exceptionally thin. One can quickly turn into the other.

If you’re really, really resistant to the idea of planning ahead, that’s okay. It’s not everybody’s style. But for the love of all that is holy, write down your ideas for future scenes, even if you’re a person that doesn’t like to plan and writes only in story order, because you will not remember that idea once you get to that scene.

_-_

10) You don’t have to write in order.

Here’s the thing: I’m a person that can only do my Draft 1 in story order (meaning, chronological order). I just have to be in that flow; I need to write in story order for me to best channel where the character is at from scene to scene, both narratively and emotionally.

But my Thought Vomit Draft is another thing entirely. By using the brain hack of putting my notes in red (or another color, it doesn’t matter) and going down to the bottom of the document / page and taking notes there, and then integrating them into whatever plan I have, and then translating them into Draft 1 once I get there in the story - by doing that, I can get my good ideas onto the page (and expound upon them and let my muse carry me and ride that momentum while I’m in the moment of inspiration) without writing out of order.

Maybe that’s just me. But if you’re a person who really prefers to write in story order, that could be hugely helpful to you. It is to me.

_-_

11) Emotion and motivation will do more for your story than technicalities of plot.

If your characters really care about something, and their journey through the (shaky or weak) plot is emotionally engaging, it will be a much more compelling story than a story with a “perfect” plot and unrelatable or unmotivated characters.

If your characters care about what they’re doing, and it means something to them, and their goals and actions are driven by dreams or fears or emotions that are integral to who they are, your audience will care too. If you have a perfectly crafted plot that hits all the right beats and has high stakes and fast pacing and drama - but your characters don’t connect with what’s happening in a way that’s deeply meaningful or emotional for them? You’re gonna have a hard time engaging readers.

When in doubt, prioritize character emotion and motivation over plot. Emotion is what drives story.

This power is highly exploitable. (Just look at pulp novels and shitty but entertaining movies.) You can even use it to glaze over plot holes or reinvigorate a limp narrative. Use it that way sparingly, though. It’s a band-aid, not a surgery.

_-_

12) Evil villains are hard to write - mostly because there are very few truly evil people in the world. (There are a few. Billionaires and several big name politicians come to mind.) But by and large, there aren’t that many evil people. There are plenty of bad people, but bad people have some good in them, somewhere in there. Trying to write an evil villain is hard, because they often turn very cartoony.

Here’s a tip: it’s much easier to write antagonists who aren’t evil. Even if they’re bad people. Of course, there’s no reason you can’t write a villain that’s just truly evil - a serial killer, or an abuser, or a billionaire, or someone who legit just wants to hurt people or blow up the earth or stay in control of an oppressed population, or whatever. But chances are, it’s gonna be really hard to make them feel real, and even harder to create a plot around them that doesn’t feel forced or contrived.

Instead, try writing an antagonist / villain whose motivations and goals directly clash with your protagonist’s - but not because they want to take over the world or see people suffer. Write an antagonist who’s chaotic good, but whose perception of the situation is completely opposite from your hero’s. Write an antagonist whose only desire is to save people, and who will do anything to achieve that goal - anything. Write an antagonist who believes in the letter of the law, and will hinder and oppose the hero’s methods even if they agree with the hero’s motivation. Write an antagonist who got in way over their head and did some things they regret, and now they don’t know how to get out, and they’re doing their best but whatever they set in motion is too powerful for them to stop now.

Write villains who are human. Write a killer who thought they were doing the right thing by taking their victim out of the equation, who vomits at the sight of the body and sobs over the grave they dig. Write a government leader who truly believes she’s doing what’s best for her people in the long-term, even if it might hurt them in the short term, and is willing to endure the hatred and belligerence of the masses if it means securing what she thinks is a better future for her people. Write a teenage bully that thinks they’re the one being picked on by the world, and they’re just fighting back, standing their ground. Write a scientist who will break any code of ethics and hurt anyone he needs to - in order to bring back his baby sister from the grave, because he promised her he’d protect her and he failed. Write an antagonist who is selfish and self-centered and capricious - because in order to survive they had to look out for Number One, and that habit ain’t about to break anytime soon.

Write villains who aren’t even villains. Write antagonists who oppose the hero because of moral differences. Write antagonists who are trying to do the right thing. Write antagonists who treat the heroes with kindness and dignity and respect and gentleness.

They don’t have to be good. They don’t have to be Misunderstood Sweethearts who “deserve” a redemption arc. They can be cruel and nasty and dismissive and callous and violent and etc. etc.

Just hesitate before you make them Evil-with-a-capital-E. Because evil is hard to write, and honestly, boring to read. Flawed human beings with goals and motivations that directly oppose the main characters’ are much easier to write and much more interesting to read.

Ask why. Why is your villain trying to take over the world? What does that even mean? Are they trying to create a Star-Trek-like post-capitalism utopia, but they know that won’t happen in a million lifetimes, so they’re trying to do it by force? Are they actually super in favor of human rights, but they got very impatient waiting for the world to do anything about poverty and war, so they decided to take it into their own hands? Are they determined to fix the world - no matter the cost? Are they terrified and overwhelmed, but committed to see it through to the end? Or - maybe they’re just doing it on a dare. Maybe they don’t really give a shit about world domination, they were just a mediocre rich white guy who decided to fuck around and find out, and now he’s kind of curious how far he can take this thing. And now he’s kind of an internationally-wanted criminal, so he’s kind of stuck living on his hidden private island in his multi-billion dollar secret base, strapping lasers to sharks’ heads for the hell of it. Gross, selfish, uncaring, and dangerous? For sure. Evil? Depends on your definition. See, now we’re getting somewhere.

_-_

13) It’s tempting to let the plot control the characters. It’s easy to drop your characters into a situation and see how they react. But here’s the thing: that doesn’t drive plot. In fact, it bogs down pacing. Instead, try to build you plot off of your characters’ actions and decisions. Let your character build their own situation. Not to say it should go they way they wanted it to go; in fact, usually, their grand plans should go to hell very quickly. But having the characters take action and make decisions, and letting the plot develop based on that, is much easier to make compelling than making a rigid series of events and then trying to herd your characters into them.

_-_

14) Having trouble justifying a character’s actions? Consider having them make the opposite decision, or having them approach the situation in a different way. For example: you need your character to go meet the bad guy, for plot reasons, even though there’s no way it’s not a trap. If the character goes, readers are gonna be groaning with their head in their hands, because c’mon man, that was really fucking stupid. But he’s gotta go, because the plot needs that. Two ways you might handle this: a) He knows it’s probably a trap. He decides not to go. The plot conspires to get him near the villain anyway. Or, b) He knows it’s a trap. But he needs to go, for (insert reasons here). So, he approaches it in an unexpected way. He brings backup, recruiting a side character we met earlier in the story. Or he arrives on the back of a dragon, because ain’t nobody gonna fuck with a dude on a dragon. Or he goes - early, and ambushes the villain. It may work, it may not. He may get himself kidnapped anyway. But it moves the plot along without having Stupid Hero Syndrome.

_-_

15) This is a legit piece of advice: if all of this sounds overwhelming, literally just ignore it and write what you want. For real. Writing should be fun, and every single writer operates differently. If you’re sitting here like “I’m getting stressed just reading this,” just flip me a good-natured bird and get on with your life. I promise I won’t take it personally. Same goes for literally any other writing advice you see. Lots of rules and guidelines can very quickly make anything thoroughly un-fun. Just write. If you’re passionate about it and you do it for long enough, you’ll start figuring out the tips and tricks on your own.

_-_

16) Here’s the best piece of advice I can give you: know your characters. More importantly, know what’s important to them. Build their personality and decisions off of that, and build your plot off of their decisions.

I see a lot of character building sheets that ask a shit-ton of questions like “What’s their most prized possession?” “Do they like their family?” “What’s their favorite food?”

And while these are good questions, my problem with this type of character building is that if you start there, with the little stuff, you’re building on nothing. IMO, to make a truly strong character (not strong like Inner Strength, strong like effective), you need a strong foundation.

Here are the things you must know about your character:

a) What are their greatest fears / deepest insecurities? And I don’t mean “wasps” or “heights.” I mean the deep shit. I mean fears like “living a meaningless life,” or “turning out just like their parents,” or “that no one will ever love them,” or “being powerless.” You may say, “But they’re really scared of wasps! They fall into a wasp nest when they were little and got stung so much they almost died!” Great! That’s a fantastic bit of backstory. They should absolutely be afraid of wasps, and that should absolutely be an impediment later in the story. But dig deeper. What about that event actually scarred them? Was it the helplessness? Stumbling around, swatting at the air, not being able to do a single thing to stop what was happening to them? Was it that they were alone, and no matter how loud they screamed, no one was coming? Was it the bodily horror of feeling themself turn into an inhuman creature as they swelled up from the stings, unable to move their fingers or face normally anymore?

And don’t forget insecurities, because those factor in, too. Are they deeply insecure about their identity? Do they believe, deep down, that they’re ugly? Did they grow up poor and they’ve always been really touchy about that? Why? Dig deep. Figure out what really, really bothers them.

b) What are their hopes and dreams? What do they truly want out of life? What do they consider the most valuable to their experience here in this thing called life? Is it the freedom to forge their own path and be independent? Is it the approval of their family or peers? Is it a home? Is it knowledge, or understanding? Spiritual fulfillment? Is it deeply important to them that they contribute to their community, or protect those they love? What do they need in order to feel truly and deeply fulfilled in life?

Figure out those two things (each one encompasses several things, btw, you don’t have to stop at just one for each), and then use that to inform how they behave and the types of decisions they make within the story.

It also informs character behavior and personality.

Let’s say we have a character who’s afraid of helplessness. They’re probably gonna be the person that always wants to do something, try something, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. They’d despise just sitting and waiting, probably, because it makes them feel powerless. They might even be the person that makes rash decisions and acts impulsively and puts themself in danger unnecessarily, because in their mind it’s better than being at the mercy of fate. This is one way you could use a character’s personality to inform their decisions, which in turn helps to inform plot.

Or, let’s say we have a character whose greatest fear is being left behind or forgotten. We may have a chatterbox on our hands. They might be obnoxious. They might love the spotlight, constantly vying for attention no matter the situation, because deep down they’re so afraid that they’d be forgotten otherwise. Or, it may go the opposite way. They may be so afraid of people leaving them that they’re terrified of bothering people. They don’t want to do anything that could annoy people, anything that might give people a reason to leave them. They might be exceedingly polite, quiet, accommodating. A push-over, really.

These are two nearly opposite types of personalities, both stemming from the same core fear/insecurity. You can go a lot of different ways with it. But if you build on that strong foundation, you’ll have a strong character, and a stronger plot.

Likewise, the structure of your story can and should inform the design of these character traits. If you need your characters to team up near the end, it may be impactful if you give your main character a deep fear of commitment, an insecurity about being unwanted or left behind, and make them highly value independence and freedom. That could make their team-up for the final battle very meaningful. Conversely, you can use your character’s deepest fears and desires to help design the plot. Is your character deeply insecure about voicing their opinions or taking a stand, because of trauma they faced in the past? Make them face that. Build that into the climactic third act. Give them the big inspirational speech where they stand up and talk about what they believe to be important, what they think the group should do. And then design that character arc to run through the story, giving you more handholds and stepping stones, more pieces of foundation on which to design the plot.

In this way, character should inform story as much as story informs character. It’s a feedback loop.

Bonus: if you build your character and your plot off of each other in this way, it automatically starts to build in the foundations of that emotional investment I mentioned earlier. If your character’s decisions are based on what they most want and do not want in life, you basically have your character motivation and stakes pre-built.

Note: you need to know these things about your villain, too.

-_-_-

I’m genuinely sorry about the length of this, lmao. But you did ask.

Best of luck!

Edit: I forgot an important one:

17) Start when the scene starts and end when the scene ends.

What do I mean by that?

If your notes say “Danny asks Nicole out after school and majorly flubs it,” start the scene when Danny approaches Nicole after school. Better yet, cold-open the scene on “I was wondering if, you know, you’d wanna. You know. Hang out some time?”

Don’t start that morning when Danny goes to school, unless you’re gonna cover the school day in like one or two sentences. Don’t spend whole paragraphs going through the school day, unless it’s to cover other plot points first (in which case apply these same guidelines there), or if the paragraphs are there for a specific reason, like to illustrate how stressed he is and how it seems like every little thing is going wrong. Even then, trim the fat as much as possible. Expounding and describing everything Moment-to-moment is for the meat of the scenes, not the leading-up-to and coming-away-from.

Here’s my rule of thumb: study how and when movies cut from scene to scene. Movies have exceptionally strict, limited time for storytelling; they’re excellent examples of starting a scene when the plot point starts and ending when it’s over. If you can’t picture a movie showing everything you showed, start the scene later and end it earlier.

#asks #anon #writing advice #writing tips #writing #fanfic writing #fanfiction #character creation #plot development #character development #my advice #original writing

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tessenpai · 3 years

Text

Kono Oto Tomare Chapter 106 Rough TL

Scans:

Page 1

Side text: All I need is a piece of kindness

Chapter Title: "Love"

Page 2

Sfx: Ping

Side Text: Chika is in trouble...

Atsumu:!

Atsumu: Takaoka-senpai sent you Kudou's location?

Natsu: Yeah

Atsumu: ...

Atsumu: Show me the map

Natsu: Eh?

Atsumu: I might know a shortcut

Page 3

Atsumu: I used to get picked on a lot

Atsumu: I would get chased after every day, I know a lot of loopholes around here.

Natsu: ...Here

Atsumu: Thank you. Let's see... Aah, that underpass! Scary-looking people are always there...

Atsumu: Right, we would get there faster if we go through this road

Natsu: ...Before, I talked to that guy on the phone...

Atsumu: ...Eh? That guy... Your brother?

Natsu: Yes

Page 4

Natsu: He nonchalantly said that "He only wanted to have Kudou-senpai back"

Natsu: Maybe he's still the same kid on the inside.

Natsu: I didn't notice it because he's smart, and on the outside, he's brilliant.

Natsu [thoughts]: ....No

Page 5

Natsu [thoughts]: The truth is... I just pretended not to notice

Natsu [thughts]: Why did you go to all that trouble. Why did you go out of your way to talk to me, the son of your father's mistress? Why did you want to keep in regular contact with me?

Uzuki: ---Sometimes

Uzuki: Sometimes I want to break everything.

Natsu: Hee--- So you think about those kinds of things, Sei

Uzuki: I think them. The consequences would be problematic, so I never act on it.

Uzuki: Living inside a lie... Makes one doubt even oneself

Natsu [thoughts]: He is been sending an SOS for a long time. And I couldn't be bothered to get involved.

Natsu: This is what happened after continuous abandonment.

Page 6

Atsumu: Over here! We will go faster if we go through this road

Atsumu: It's ok. You realized now. Before losing it forever, you realized. You are still on time.

Page 7

Chika: Hou... Zuki

Chika: Why are you he---

Satowa: Shut up, Kudou you idiot!!!

Chika: Idi...!?

Satowa: Always, always trying to carry the weight of the most important things alone!! What is that!? Are we so unreliable!?

Chika: That's not i---

Satowa: Just so you know!!

Page 8

Satowa: I refuse to just stand behind your back for you to protect me!!

Abiko: Fiu---uu So cool-- <3

Abiko: I can't believe a girl came to the rescue. That surprised me

Abiko: ....But, little lady

Page 9

Abiko: Do you understand what situation are you in?

Page 10

Chika: !?

Chika: You idiot stop...

Satowa: Ugh

Page 11

Satowa: If you are gonna hit me, just hit me.

Satowa: And then, let the police come catch us. That absurd plan of yours to use the "Meiryo student" as a shield will be for nothing.

Page 12

Thug 1: Hey....

Abiko: I don't have a habit to roughen up girls...

Abiko: In the end, the whole festival is ruined

Abike: But listen here, little lady.

Abiko: You still can't do that. We've got all these people here. And we can do whatever we want with you two. The kind of things a girl who's lived in a beautiful world like yourself couldn't begin to imagine---

Page 13

Uzuki: ---Why?

Uzuki: What are you to Chika?

Page 14

Uzuki:. I made a check on every person around Chika... Is not like you are his girlfriend, right?

Uzuki: You just go to the same class and club.

Uzuki: If I remember correctly, you are just the lady of a koto family. Your world is exactly the opposite of Chika's.

Uzuki: Why are you going this far?

Uzuki: After this... You could have done something you may regret the rest of you life.

Page 15

Chika: Ugh... Houzuki

Uzuki: You don't need to do this--

Chika: Please I'm begging you let me g...

Page 16 and 17

Satowa: Because I love him

Page 18 and 19

Satowa: Because I really love Kudo!!!

Page 20 and 21

Satowa: So I don't want him to get hurt. I want to protect him. I want to treasure him. I want him to laugh all the time. I wish he is always happy.

Page 22

Satowa: Is that wrong!? You got a problem with that!?

Satowa: ---So I will never let go

Page 23

Satowa: I won't let go.

Gen [memories]: Hey, listen. I've got... Just one request I wanna make to ya.

Page 24

**Flashback**

Chika: A request?

Gen: ...Yeah, it's something I can only ask you.

Chika: ...What?

Page 25

Gen: Be happy

Page 26

Gen: I told you before, right? That those hands were to protect the things that were important to you and grasp on to happiness.

Gen: I'm sure it's something you will be able to understand on your own. Because you may not be good at studying, but you are not stupid.

Gen: But you're so quick to treat yourself badly, aren't you? You're so quick to give up on yourself and cut yourself off, aren't you?

Page 27

Gen: There will be many moments in the future when you will have to make choices.

Gen: When those moments arrive, don't hesitate. Choose the path that will make you happy.

Page 28

Gen: That's something only you can do.

Gen: If someone reaches a hand out to you, or someone pushes you on the back. Whether to grab that hand or not...

Page 29

Gen: You are the only one who can decide that

Page 30

Gen: Be happy, Chika.

Page 31

*No text*

Page 32

Abiko: Eeeh.... what's that about...

Page 33

Sfx: Grab

Sfx: Bam!!

Abiko: !

Tetsuki: Geez, that's dangerous. What the hell are you doing waving that thing around? Are you an idiot?

Page 34

Chika: Tetsuki...!

Tetsuki: Yo. That's one hell of a face you got there.

Takezou: Kudou-kun! Houzuki-san!!

Chika:!

Sane: Wuoooh! Are you two alright?

Chika: You guys...

Hiro: Uaaaaaa Houzuki-channnnn

Satowa: Hi- Hiro-senpai

Page 35

Hiro: Are you ok? They didn't do anything weird to you?

Satowa: More than me, Kudou...

Hiro: Gyaaaa Chika-kun what's that, looks awful!

Thug 2: Crap bunch of them now...

Tetsuki: And what, it was Chika alone against the seven of you? Aren't you embarrassed?

Thug 2: Wha-

Tetsuki: ---Well, anyway

Tetuski: This is it, Uzuki.

Side text: Chika has now friends to turn his love to

Kono Oto Tomare! Continues next issue---------

#kono oto tomare translation #kono oto tomare #kono oto tomare!#kot #sounds of life #stop this sound!#kudou chika #houtsuki satowa #chika kudou #chika and satowa #rough tl #rough translation #kono oto tomare tl #kono oto tomare 106 #kono oto tomare! 106 #kot! 106 #kot 106

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popsicle-parfait · 3 years

Text

❗WARNING❗: This is a rant post, you are not obligated to read this but just know that if you do I am not responsible for the feelings you get from it.

Okay, so can we just take a moment to talk about fanfics and their character/ oc development? Today I looked at a fanfic and I saw an oc character sheet, yknow the normal stuff you see when you start reading someone's story. Now this this what ticked me off, it said in the abilities section of the bio "Able to control air and oxygen and any water around him. " now if that wasn't bad enough in the weakness portion of the chapter it said "There's not really a weakness to their abilities". I don't know about you but your dear old pal here HATES overpowered characters with a ridiculous stat ratio. Now this is where the rant starts so excuse anything offensive I say because I'm mad as hell. EXCUSE ME? I'm sorry but if your damn character has the abilities of a whole god and their drawback is a HEADACHE then your oc is just bad. No I'm not kidding, I'm 100% certain on what I'm saying and listen to me when I tell you this, your oc has to have character development and having an op ability set just takes away the whole purpose of that and leaves no room for anything interesting to happen in your fanfic. Have you ever thought of why you lost motivation if your fanfic? Or maybe it hasn't gotten the spice you want in it? IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE YOUR OC HAS A TRASHY PERSONALITY WITH THE LEG ROOM OF A DAMN OCTOPUS. I'm not gonna sit here and read your story when your oc is all like "Everything is so boring, everyone is so stupid for not seeing that attack coming. You guys are so annoying and I'm better than y'all. I'm just not gonna say anything or contribute to the plot because I know everything already 😩" FUCK OUTTA HERE WITH THAT🤡 I wanna cry so bad because I just can't believe these people really looked at their oc, approved it, then had the nerve to say "He's rude but is really kind" I'M SORRY? Kind???! W H E R E??? PLEASE I BEG OF Y'ALL BALANCE YOUR OCS OUT!!

Okay but seriously if you want some advice here's what's I actually recommend for this type of stuff:

Take a moment and stop what you're writing. I know you have a lot of ideas of what you want in your story but just stop worrying about the plot and think about the oc's your inserting there.

Study your character, think about anime references or other anime characters you want to base your oc off of and get inspiration from that

Next I would recommend to really think about what type of person you want your oc to be and think to yourself "what would I do (or how would I react, ) if I came across this type of person irl?" because to you this character might seem cool but if you look at it at a realistic standpoint they're probably a really horrible/ toxic person.

When you think about your oc's backstory I want you to think about your fandoms universe. What are the basic things that apply to this fandom? What is okay and reasonable enough to fit in this fandom? How would this tie into your fandoms lore? (this also really important because if your fandom is about a highschool anime and your oc is "the demon lord from hell" it wouldn't fit and it just disregards the structure of the anime.) I really want y'all the do some research on the fandom you're inserting your oc into, don't just go in blind.

Another thing would your oc's appearance, face claims are okay. I'm fine with that. But if you don't use face claims and your description of your oc is "black hair, yellow (left) and blue (right) eyes, scars everywhere, bandages everywhere" I'm going to assume your oc is an emo wannabe with an attention problem. Sorry not sorry, hehe~ 😜

Oh, another thing I want y'all to take into consideration is your oc's abilities. I really want you guys to know that it is okay if your oc is "normal". You don't have to give them the backstory of a broken king, you don't have to give them trauma and you don't have to make them "special". Your character is the mc for being themselves, they don't need all of that fancy stuff because even if they're bland they stand out against the original protagonist of the anime. You don't have to make them super edgy or super important because there's a thing called character development. The abilities your oc has (in my opinion at least) must start small. Then as the story continues and as the oc makes more important relationships between themselves and the people around them it gives them time to think about certain things in a new light and that pushes them to want to work hard. (1)

Let's say I have an oc named Oscar or something and they're an insert to the anime My Hero Academia. By me giving them the ability to see the future (please don't take any ideas from this istg) it also means they see the USJ attack and if they predict that very important plot point and inform the main characters about it that basically means that attack wouldn't happen the way it does in the anime. Now there are a lot of factors to be considered in this such as, lida doesn't run to get the pro heroes, All Might doesn't save class 1-A, and Izuku doesn't get the determination he gets to work more on OFA because he doesn't have to worry about All Might being pushed to his limit as severally as he does in canon. Please, I advise you to think about these things. (2)

Thank you for taking your time to read my whole post and let's hope I don't lose followers for this, these types of things need to be thought about and I feel like no one actually takes their time to and just throws whatever character they can come up with in a story. Um... Have a cool pic I guess...

#anime / manga #x male reader #male reader insert #male reader #mha #my hero acadamy #jujutsu kaisen #sk8 the infinity #obey me #haikyuu!!#haikyū!!#genshin impact #gender neutral reader #gn reader #nb reader #non binary reader

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