naeleen 60min challenge (took ~80min)

CHUUNIBYOU SHOWDOWN: (NOT SO) SECRET FINAL BATTLE

Shout out to the raunchiest joke I know of in the dragalia life comics:

...And it's all due to this one panel:

Now of course we can kinda get the flirty seductive undertone of pet names, etc with Leonidas' usage of kitten.

But oh boy, in the original JP there's a whole new layer to this. Leonidas asks if the fan is, of course, a 'neko' if I recall right. Neko means cat. So it's the exact same, right?

...Neko is also Japanese slang for what we might say is the, uh, 'catcher' in a homosexual relationship.

The first prince of one of the most powerful nations in the continent walks up to you, a fan and unintentionally asks that.

And how do his rapidly growing fans respond to this sudden very private question once word spreads? With gusto and great enthusiasm.

So yeah Leo had a big and growing bigger group of fanatics who heard that he'd all but asked someone if he'd bottom for him and went 'sign me up!'

Oh, Leo.

Edit: Oh no I forgot news of this had even reached Euden.... who ALSO doesn't have a clue what's going on in JP subtext. Save the royal family so that they're not gathered around the table having a very serious meeting trying to debate why the public is going wild over Leonidas' fans.

Felicia from Dragalia Lost

Was there a particular moment where the characters of FEH really sunk their claws in for you?

For me personally was the half a body, half a mind page from the silly little side comic (aka where Robin asks Kiran if Alfonse is their other half and they chose to interpret that very literally). The revelation that Alfonse and Kiran’s dynamic switches who has the braincell in the prince/tactician dynamic was eye opening. And then the follow up of Sharena being fucking gobsmacked that local introvert prince managed to S rank Kiran was beautiful 10/10 makes me both happy and sad. And from then on the brain rot has been STRONG. No thoughts head empty only these lil guys.

Oughgh I'VE. BEEN RUMINATING ON THIS.... (which is. Why it took so long for me to respond to LMFAOO)

BUT.... first of all YOUR INTERPRETATION. OF THE "Half a body, half a mind" bit is HUGE. Like you're so right, there is a lot of symbolism there even if it's silly!!! And esppp Sharena's reaction to Alfonse making a close friend, so easily in her eyes... that absolutely would be a sleeper agent thing for me actually. Like. I wouldn't consider it until Much later, and when I did it just never left my mind.

And I think that's the thing!! I've actually been having a lot of trouble, trying to pinpoint exactly Where each took such a strong hold on me LMFAO. I think, because it's this gradual and constant process of taking in information, noticing something Odd, re-examining, re-contextualizing, and gaining new perspective.

It def happened quicker w Alfonse though, cause he's actually much easier to read. Immediately you can tell his words and actions aren't matching up, and through that you can tell his feelings aren't matching his words either. You also see the clear reason Why he's Like That, on. Several different levels.

I think.... the lines of dialogue that always stick with me. His entire level 40 convo. I'm always thinking about it. I'll often revisit it. And, a lot of his lines to or about the summoner: "Please, remain with us, [summoner]?", "Or... is it that reality has been reshaped by my fear of having lost [summoner]?"

BUT, I think. What really got me was actually his Forging Bonds with Dieck. Like at this point I was already in way too deep LMFAO BUT. Dieck's fucking dialogue fucked me up SO much actually

I AM LITERALLY ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT THIS FUCKING DIALOGUE ‼️‼️‼️‼️It REALLY opened my eyes AND put words to something that was Constantly nagging at me. How Alfonse, from the very start, will say one thing, and then. Directly contradict himself. Not because he's disingenuous -- but because he's so split in two.

AND. AUGHHGH!! THAT'S!!!! You think he's so reserved, and he is. But he wears his heart on his sleeve and will talk openly with anyone who will listen. You think he's the cool and collected type, he OFTEN leaves people with that impression. But SO many times he acts rashly, with little regard for himself. He claims, he can't be driven by emotion because those driven by emotion cannot rule. BUT HE. IS. SUCH A PAINFULLY EMOTIONAL CHARACTER. Almost EVERYTHING he does is driven by his emotions -- I absolutely think so much about how he has a bit of a temper on him, and I think about all the little ways he so clearly and deeply loves Sharena, I think about how much of a mess he is over Bruno, I think about just how quickly he warmed up to the summoner despite insisting upon keeping his distance. Hell, you think he's like. This very serious guy. And he is! Aaand then next thing you know he's dug a ditch and he's thrown himself into it and he's covered in mud. AND. THE WILDEST PART OF THAT. Is the Way he does it, the reason Why, it. Tracks. Like yeah. He would do that. That's actually not out of character for him.

(ALSO as a side his Forging Bonds w f!Alear also live in my head rent free -- another instance of, taking a step back and re-evaluating. It was actually so refreshing in a way? You get used to just how warm he is with the summoner, that you forget just how cold he can be too. That's ALSO something I'm so not normal about. The asshole tendencies. The coldness, and the ruthlessness. It's subtle, but There. He does have a harsher side to him.)

AND ALL OF THIS....... still only feels like the tip of the iceberg. But literally I will never shut up about it LMFAOOO I GOTTA. BECAUSE. SHARENA‼️‼️‼️

I think actually I have an easier time pinning down where I started having Thoughts about her. Because, I made the same mistake a lot of charas in-universe make, even Alfonse, himself. Assuming, that just because she's outgoing and friendly, that she has an easier time making friends. When like. Really, it's been present the whole time actually -- from that FEH comic, to the Paralogues featuring Katarina, like. She doesn't. She struggles just as much, if not more.

But I think, the exact point I actually internalized this was in her Forging Bonds w f!Byleth. Like. Those convos REALLY make it clear, so much so I felt stupid for not even seeing that sooner. And, it helped me re-contextualize her level 40 convo also! When I first got that dialogue, I really didn't know what to make of it. LIKE. ABSOLUTELY she's so sweet and I love her. But. I really had no idea what to make of it! Until like. It became clear to me, ohhhhhhhh I. Fell for the front she puts up as a defense mechanism. You can be cheerful and silly and deeply hurt and have just as many interpersonal issues as someone who like. Shows clearer signs of having those issues. Okay! Got it 🫡 SHKAHSJSHJAJ

And then I think that's when I became just deeply unwell about her too LMFAOOOOOOO

the year of the rabbit technically hasn't started yet but hey

I just realized, did Mym get screwed out of her happy ending?

Everyone else is living their ideal life in the new world, like Elly and Alex working side by side in the church, Ranzal having a good relationship with his dad and also Volk is there for some reason, and Luca, Sarisse and MascuLaxi chilling at their village.

But Mym's perfect world would be her being by Euden's side. So whats her life now? is she just alone on her volcano again, or did she get some new person to love? Also if Midgardsormr remembers the events of the old world, do the other Primal Greatwyrms have their memories too thanks to their pact? Cause if so them Mym must be in absolute misery in the new world...

Unless, she encounters a certain wandering nobody that is.

play dragalia lost while you can! fun game

link to news post

The older siblings and their pactbound Dragons (ft. Genshin name cards)

(Will probably post Zethia and Euden later)

now that ive been able to sit on my thoughts for a few days. my ultimate consensus is: tales of zestiria is good. why does everyone hate it.

thank you for everything, prince euden.

i have a severe deficiency in bad mobile jrpgs so lets see how another eden goes

Me, looking at the shining nikki anniversary stuff: the love nikki we have at home doesn't treat us like this,,,, (/lh)

FR THO but like no other game treats us like this, not including love nikki. Shining nikki just gives out so much stuff, it s the best for f2p players and i stand by my word

Shining nikki is the game i tell love nikki not to worry about

April Fools ain’t foolin me

Man if only my phone had enough space for among us lol

ROUND 1: PART 2

Propaganda under cut

Lord Arum

● Okay so from what I've listened to he's not called a dragon but he is a four-armed, two-legged reptilian man who is born/created to be the guardian and caretaker of an ancient massive magical plant house called The Keep. So, magic lizard guarding magic castle sounds like a dragon to me.

He falls in love with a male human knight and a female human scientist. Bi and poly rights! We have enemies to lovers, homoerotically charged duels, and desperate acts of kidnapping to save the only thing he loves that leads to him finding more people to love (and also saves the only thing he loved).

Midgardsormr

● Midgardsormr is the Windwyrm, a dragon who governs over the winds. Dragons in Dragalia Lost are considered an important part of nature itself, standing apart from humanity.

However, the protagonist's ancestor, Alberius, formed an incredibly close bond with Midgardsormr, to the point of completely changing his opinions on humans and the world at large. This culminated in them both rebelling against Elysium (who is essentially a dragon god) to protect humanity from his divine judgement.

Even three hundred years later, Midgardsormr clearly still thinks highly of Alberius and their time together.

Quote: "Then I ask you once more, Midgardsormr: Can dragon and man forge a true bond?"

"They can. The days I lived with Alberius in centuries past are proof of this— and those bonds continue through time. I shall protect this world he created, where dragon and man can journey as one."

Comic: https://i.imgur.com/BZqic79.png

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPcw1NykG6k

You know, I think there's kind a funny/not 'dark', but kinda unhappy subtle and constant reinforcement of the idea that Mym is never going to be able to 'get' Euden.

Like, her Halloween story is where it really starts to get hammered in, in the plotline where she wishes they were just two normal farmers with nobody to save out in Ruralandia. She's recognizing that Euden's attention is on everyone else and protecting them, so surely removing everyone else from his worries would mean all that energy is free to be expended on her, right? Nope.

He turns to looking after his plants with the same overprotective spirit for people.

Funny for us, but it's still kind of an oof for Mym that even in a world otherwise devoid of people to protect that he's still ultimately more focused on something else.

This gets hammered in even harder in Summer Mym's story, which I actually really loved. Anyways, Mym makes a real wish granted by a faerie, not just fictionland dreams as in her Halloween version, that Euden 'would only have eyes for her'.

It's granted....Because Euden then goes under trying to save her from drowning, nearly dies, and conveniently wakes up completely amnesiac save for Mym's name. The others do a an uncharacteristic abandoning of him as they try to find out something to help fix his memory.

Now, if wishes are generally trying to take the path of least resistance in fulfilling a wish, then the only way Euden would ever pay full attention on her is that he can't remember literally anything other than her and that no other friend stays with him to watch out over him. That's what the win condition she's looking for requires in the real world.

Thankfully, Mym is mature enough to recognize that erasing huge chunks of Euden and keeping him in a more anxious state and latching onto her as a result isn't what she wants, even if she wants to protect him from all the bad things going outside the little beach, and restores his memory.

And while I could make a whole 'nother post about the last story bit in her story, it's another reinforcement of the effectively canonical idea that Euden's likely Aroace and just Not Interested in romance in his rejection to Mym's confession, finally in a way he can understand.

Heck, even her first stories could be construed as another reinforcement. Euden's (and everyone's) blatant OOC in her imaginations are a joint result of her not knowing them very well at that point and trying to pigeonhole them into characters in her stories. But still: Euden only loves her in the way she wants(in her imagination and outside it) when he's entirely not himself.

Mym's kinda had to come to accept that by this point, mostly just hoping sometime in the future it might change. But it comes back even in the main campaign for one last bite.

She knows he's not in love with her, nor would he ever likely be. Not without some fundamental part of him being different. If she's not willing to sacrifice many of the things that make him him, she's not going to get him.

While Mym or her behavior isn't quite handled exactly how I might've liked, I think it's an interesting take of someone knowingly embarking on a futile endeavor.

I also do appreciate that Dragalia took a strong stance on saying 'no, Euden would never end up with Mym (or anyone, really)' instead of doing the typical thing where they try to keep all romance threads open so they can tease everything. The constant reinforcement of this idea in both ways funny and mature is something I don't see often in games.

So yeah, not sure where this came from, but it's both funny to see all the wild OOC in her stories, and a bit sad for what it represents for Mym: a manifestation of her implicit understanding that Euden is never going to love her romantically.