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#need her revival arc
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People saying laudna should stay dead I see you but respectfully I do not agree with you.
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feathertayl · 1 year
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I’m going to need people in fandoms to stop pretending that it’s somehow feminist and empowering for a female character to get fridged and shoved into this typical 1950s nuclear family setting at the end of a series —especially if it’s a shounen series and it doesn’t make sense for the character to end up this way. It’s not anti-feminist to think that these characters deserved better than what their pea-brained (usually male) author wrote for them.
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buggachat · 9 months
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So, this is very important. Emilie or Amelie?
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(Answer: Amelie. But seriously, I'm getting ahead of myself, let's talk about it.)
This is kind of a long post. If you don't want to read all of my ramblings, feel free to skip to the final point. That's the important one.
A mysterious woman who is clearly one of the two Graham de Vanily twins was in attendance of the party at the end of the episode. But is she Emilie (Adrien's dead mom, revived by Gabriel's wish) or Amelie (Adrien's already alive aunt)?
Here's the thing. The answer to this question is actually extremely important. Emilie being alive would be a HUGE deal and would have extreme consequences on the narrative and themes of the show.
Seriously. We need to know whether or not Emilie is alive. So, let's discuss— what do we know?
1. Amelie should be at this party.
Seriously. Amelie would be at Adrien's party.
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You know who is in attendance at Adrien's party? Not just his friends, but also adults in his life. Nathalie. Su-Han. Jagged Stone. Penny Rolling.
You know what Penny Rolling's relationship is to Adrien? She's the manager/new girlfriend of his friend Luka's recently-undeadbeated-dad. And she was invited to Adrien's party.
Seriously. This is a party of any significant character. Everyone and their mother was invited and— hey wait, where's Félix's mother? Félix is here, and certainly our favorite mommy's boy would invite his mother along. Surely Adrien's aunt would be invited to Adrien's party.
You know, Amelie's aunt, who had a not insignificant arc in the story? A family member to the Agrestes, who we've seen struggle, who would well deserve a shot of her smiling at a party at the finale?
Amelie, who had some unresolved tension with Nathalie, centered around their respective relationships with Gabriel? Tension that would likely be rectified after Gabriel's demise?
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Not only would Amelie be at this party, but I absolutely believe she would be sitting next to Nathalie. (I mean, they do know each other. Who else at that party does Amelie even know?)
If that's not Amelie, then where is she?
Oh, and side note, what was the shot just before the shot of the mysterious woman? Oh, that's right. Amelie's son.
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2. She only appears for a brief flash, given no more significance than any other character in attendance.
There's a reason why everyone is using the same shot of the mysterious woman when discussing her. That is the only shot of her. There are more shots of Penny Rolling than of her.
Here's the thing. Either Emilie is alive in this final scene, or she isn't. So, how would you expect this scene to play for these circumstances?
Here is a complete list of everything I would expect if Emilie were not alive:
A brief shot of Amelie.
Here is an incomplete list of some of the things I would expect from a "Emilie, the mother of the deuteragonist and ghost that has been haunting the narrative for 5 Seasons, is alive now" reveal, at the bare minimum:
A shot that lingers on Emilie.
Emilie, seated with Nathalie AND HER TWIN SISTER.
A shot of Emilie opening her eyes during Gabriel's wish.
The newscast, which they watch during the party, having a mention of "... and Parisians are still celebrating the rescue of Emilie Agreste, who was previously missing but recently found!"
Adrien literally acknowledging that his dead mother is suddenly alive at all? AT ALL? Looking at her, mentioning her, literally ANYTHING from him? I mean, seriously, what did he think happened—
3. Adrien's perception of his mother's reappearance would need to be addressed. It was not.
Adrien does not know the wish was cast.
Adrien does not know anything.
Here's the thing. While, yes, Emilie has been described as "missing"/"disappeared" in the show, it is absolutely clear to the audience that Adrien has been under the impression that Emilie is dead.
We know this from the painting in the foyer that depicts Gabriel and Adrien in mourning. We know this from the way that Adrien (correctly) draws the conclusion that "Nathalie has the same illness as my mother, therefore she is dying". We know this from the way that Adrien speaks about his mother in past tense, how he encourages his father to move on and date Nathalie, how he has never once in the show seemed to be under the impression that Emilie could come back.
So, if Emilie suddenly came back........... someone would need to explain it to Adrien. He would need to be fed another lie about it. We would need to be made privy as to what he believes happened.
Examples of how this could have been easily achieved:
Again, the newscast. Nadja acknowledging that the missing Emilie Agreste had been found. Maybe mentioning that "she was found being held captive by Monarch" or something. I dunno, whatever lie that works.
Adrien, during his conversation with Marinette, mentioning what happened to Emilie from his perspective, the same way he vocalized to her what his perception of Gabriel's death was. I mean, seriously, Adrien was already doing this expositional dialogue... why wouldn't he mention his mom during it?
4. Leaked production material does not change the final product.
Yes, scripts were leaked of this season. There are deleted scenes in the storyboards. There are script changes and allusions to certain things and mentions here and there in these materials that suggest that the mysterious woman could have, at some point in production, been Emilie.
... at some point in production.
So, here's the thing. This is the most solid Emilie argument we have. In fact, I'd argue it's the only argument that holds any real ground at all. .......... and it's in content that we aren't supposed to have.
( Actually, it's the only real Emilie argument I've seen... period. The only other one I've seen is the fact her statue is gone, but I'd argue that the removal of her statue has symbolic weight no matter what. It was a symbol of Gabriel's obsession over her, the way that she haunts the narrative, the way she looms over the Agreste household. Alive or not, this is not the case anymore. So it makes sense to remove it. )
If your interpretation of the source material is solely, and I mean SOLELY based off of out-of-context snippets of things that were in the writer's room Vaguely At Some Point, things that now directly contradict the final product, things that the audience was absolutely under no circumstances meant to see...
You're not interpreting the episode. You're interpreting out-of-context snippets of a rough draft of it.
So, here's the thing. I've seen some of these leaks, I've seen a lot of people talk about these leaks, I've seen the rumors and I've heard the gossip. I'm not going to parrot it, because honestly, I'm still annoyed that the leaks exist at all. It feels a bit insulting to the art form, tbh, that incomplete scripts are being passed around and touted as significant and more accurate than the actual completed script.
But I'll say one thing:
If the rough drafts of scripts, deleted scenes, etc pointed to Emilie being alive.......
Why did they remove them?
(The answer is simple: because they changed their minds. And you don't have to stress about or mull over why they did it, because you were never supposed to know that it was changed, because you were never supposed to know about out-of-context rough drafts of the script in the first place. It doesn't matter. It's not the product. Writers are allowed to toss around ideas and scripts and then change them. It's unimportant and you're not supposed to be privy to it. It's not for you. It's not what they made. It's certainly not more accurate to the direction they're headed than what they settled on. )
Point is:
IF THE LEAKS DIDN'T EXIST, YOU WOULDN'T BE CONFUSED.
YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO SEE THE LEAKS.
YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CONFUSED.
5. So, Astruc on twitter.
Okay, I love perusing Astruc's twitter for snippets of information as much as the next obsessive miraculous fan. I have perused his twitter a lot. Astruc always addresses comments and concerns under like 20 layers of coyness.
People ask him, "is it Emilie or Amelie"? And basically, every time, he responds with some variation on "pay attention and you'll know".
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He's been shooting down people presenting the clues they find to him, on both sides of the argument. Some examples (which include the Amelie wearing black and Emilie wearing white thing):
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So, what does this mean, beyond the already known fact that Astruc likes to mess with us?
Obviously, I'm not Astruc. I don't know his mind. I also don't have much of vested interest in dissecting everything he says, nor do I take his word at face value a lot of the time (again, he likes to mess with us).
However, I think two things are fairly clear here:
It IS possible to know whether or not Emilie was revived by watching the episode.
It's not the small details he wants us to look at. Admittedly, color schemes and set dressings are small details. It's not the big picture. It's not important. It's not the heart of what he, or any writer in his position, would want us to interpret.
( Side note, but if nearly every single Emilie argument is based off of things NOT ACTUALLY IN THE EPISODE, then doesn't Astruc saying the answer is in the episode shoot that down right off the bat? But hey! I digress. )
So, what is the big picture? What are the things that writers are truly proud of? What is the thing that a writer would want us to pay attention to? What are the details of the show that can help point us to what transpired in the episode? What—
6. The WRITING of the ENTIRE SERIES, INCLUDING within THIS VERY episode, the dialogue, the themes, the character beats, the symbolism— Literally. All of it. Points to Emilie. STAYING. DEAD.
This is actually the heart of my point.
Emilie absolutely was not revived here.
Here's the thing. The themes of grief and loss and mourning are extremely present within the Agreste arc. Throughout the entire series, the following has been hammered in by the writing:
Gabriel is obsessive for wanting to bring Emilie back. His desires are not healthy or sound. He is delusional. He is hurting Adrien and Nathalie by living in this fantasy.
Gabriel should have moved on.
Nathalie wants to move on.
Adrien has already moved on.
EMILIE HERSELF wanted them all to move on.
Emilie is a nearly angelic figure. Adrien is literally the deuteragonist of the series. Nathalie is a morally grey character with a clear redemption arc. Gabriel is the antagonist.
The "better" the character is, the more certain they are that Emilie should not be revived.
The CORRECT choice, if Gabriel and Nathalie chose the "right" path from the start, would have been for Gabriel and Nathalie to focus on parenting Adrien themselves, instead of obsessing over bringing a dead woman who has already come to terms with her death back to life. That's what Emilie wanted. That's what Adrien wants. That's what Nathalie has wanted but was too afraid to say. That's what Gabriel refuses to accept.
Look, if I go in depth into the scenes where this is addressed, I'd be here all day. Instead, have a screenshot compilation, I guess.
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Again. That's been a core message of the series this entire time. And while I don't have screenshots of it being spoken so plainly in seasons 1 and 2, Gabriel has always been depicted as sinister, and his obsession has always been framed in the wrong.
Now, if you're one of those people who refuse to analyze the text at all or interpret what the messages of the show are on the grounds of "the writing sucks so who cares, it's probably just inconsistent writing and they forgot about the themes in the final episode" or whatever, then like. Ok. But here's the thing— this theme is even more hammered home in the finale.
Guys. I'm serious. What the hell do you think the scene before the wish was saying?
Gabriel, at his lowest moment, brought down. Gabriel, detransformed and on his knees before Bug Noir. Gabriel, at the final hour of his life, near tears, still obsessing over his wife, still thinking of his wife his wife his wife above all else, as Bug Noir lays out the literal themes of the show to him in all their beautiful glory.
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And then literally forces him to watch the very videos that he had tried to force Nathalie to delete. Forces him to face the very words he refused to acknowledge. Forces him, at his lowest, to come face-to-face with the truth he denied.
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.... And it hits him. What she's saying hits him. Because how can he deny Emilie's own words? The very woman he's doing it all for? How can he bring her back to life when she would want nothing less? How can he force the love of his life to live knowing that someone had died for her to, when she didn't want that? How could he have lost himself so much in the madness?
And then Bug Noir comes in with THIS
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.... And Gabriel says....
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.... Note that, he does not continue to deny it. He does not plead his case that Emilie should be alive. He is no longer arguing that. Here, he has seemingly begun to accept the premise that Emilie should not be brought back to life. Instead, he has a new premise:
He does not want to be alive if Emilie is not.
Gabriel is not selfless. Gabriel is not a good man. Gabriel says, earlier in the episode, flat out, that he is more than willing to kill whoever it takes, whatever rando he wants, to get what he wants.
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Here's the thing.
Gabriel wants to be with Emilie.
Gabriel is willing to kill anyone, whoever it takes, to make this happen.
Gabriel realizes Emilie does not want to be alive.
Gabriel decides that he will honor Emilie's final wish......... only partially.
Because Emilie wanted both Gabriel and Nathalie to take care of Adrien. But Gabriel does not want that. It's not that Gabriel is above killing someone to save his own life, it's that he realizes that he, too, does not want to be saved. Because he does not want to live in a world without Emilie.
He would rather be dead, with her, than alive and caring for his own son.
Gabriel Agreste's wish is a suicide. I mean, we already knew this— but I mean, literally. It's not a selfless sacrifice. It's not one final act of goodness. It's a suicide. He decides he wants to die, and he decides that he will save Nathalie in the act— because it's what Emilie wanted, and Gabriel is obsessive. The only person who would reason with him is Emilie herself.
And what does Gabriel's wish look like? How is it depicted to us?
Gabriel and Emilie, cast in a white light. Emilie lifts from her coffin, notably still limp, as Gabriel rises up with her.
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He rises up with her, notably supporting her limp head with his hand. She is still unconscious. And he is joining her.
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One last selfish act. The final nail into his "trying to be a dad" coffin. He doesn't want to be a dad anymore. He only wants to be with Emilie. And he will gladly pass that responsibility, the responsibility of parentage, onto Nathalie— The only character in the show who has been showing an explicit, vested interest in LIVING to take care of and be a parent to Adrien.
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Nathalie is alive. Nathalie is well. A life for a life. One life for one life. That's all that's depicted. That's all that's shown.
Is it TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE that more could've been a part of that wish? Is it TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE that the wish could've been more complicated? Is it TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE that some random other person died? Is it TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE that all of that dialogue and that entire scene and the entire buildup of Emilie's recordings were just soooooo lol random and that Emilie just decided that she's totally cool with being revived and alive now and that the entire themes of the series were a lie?
I also think it's technically possible that Marinette has secretly been a hamster wearing a human suit this whole time, and Lila is actually secretly a sentimonster made by Gorilla. And maybe this show isn't a romance, actually, and that Adrien and Marinette aren't meant to be endgame. In fact, maybe the entire series was a big prank. Maybe I'm adopted and my parents lied to me about it.
But how it looks, from what I see, from what I've watched, what just happened is....
Gabriel accepted that Emilie is dead.
This made Gabriel want to die, too. Because he doesn't care about Adrien as much as he cares about Emilie.
So, he did. And he shirked parentage onto Nathalie.
Is this "winning", by the way? By any stretch? Is this "Gabriel getting what he always wanted"? Is this "Gabriel being proved right"? Is this a lack of consequences? Are we really going to call a broken man, who has been slowly turning to ash and rotting away for an entire season, who suffered and was beaten down and, at the very end, had the only people ever in his corner (Nathalie and Adrien) cursing his name and wanting him dead.... him being right all along? Is him committing suicide the series justifying his actions? Is him committing suicide (again, not a selfless sacrifice) him "doing good" and "being redeemed" by the narrative? Is a faux image of him, a false narrative, a complete fictional person that he never truly was being celebrated by ignorant Parisians, him "being redeemed"? I suppose that's another essay altogether. But I'm tired of writing.
also, there was still only one goddamn twin at that party
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simplyavatrice · 1 year
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I think it's easy to forget just exactly what Ava went through. She was SEVEN years old and woke up in strange place, with cranky old nuns, only to find out she was paralyzed and that her mom had died. Not only that, but no other member of her family ever came for her. Nobody was looking for her, nobody wanted her and suddenly she's all alone and dealing with the loss of her mothre and her independence.
You'd think, oh well maybe she has a support system in the orphanage? Nope, they treat her like shit, like the burden she believes she is. As someone who has been in a wheelchair their whole life, let me tell you, feeling like a burden is an everyday thing. You’re not, and having people who remind you that you’re not and make you understand that you’re not is beautiful, but Ava didn’t have that. She had Sister Frances, who went out of her way to tell Ava she was worthless and I doubt anyone else there was much better.
So it's no wonder Ava was a sarcastic, snarky little shit to the nuns in the orphanage - they made her that way. Being bratty to them was the only thing she could do to feel some semblance of control.
Flash forward to Ava's death, where she was literally murdered because nobody cared and there was nowhere for her to go. Ava spent twelve years in a personal hell of being trapped in her own body, was then killed like someone taking out the garbage. Empty, alone and tossed aside.
So when she was revived by the halo, with her legs suddenly working and freedom to do whatever she wanted, of COURSE she wanted to be free.
That's the entirety of Ava's character arc - SHE WANTS TO LIVE! She hasn't been able to for so long she barely remembers how to do it.
It's not that easy, of course, the halo carries a ton of weight and Ava fights it and runs from it and resists it as much as she can, and who can blame her? She finally gets the chance to be alive, to be free and enjoy life and all these strangers (who are everywhere becuase Ava is completely alone in the world) are pushing and pulling her in every direction. She's constantly told that she doesn't deserve the halo. Doesn't deserve this chance.
Despite ALL of that, Ava's heart is strong and her passion for life overshadows all the darkness she's been dealt. She isn't just full of life, but love. She's spent years not having anyone to love her, but more than that, she's never been able to give anyone her love and I think that's very important to her. We see it so much as the show goes on. Her softness with Mother Superion when she finds her halo scar, and the way she connects with Mary, Camila being sweet to her, little things like that.
Then of course there's Bea.
Beatrice, who never sees Ava as someone that needs to be replaced, but as someone who can be taught, trained and shaped into what they need. Who sees that Ava, the human being, has value and that she's worth protecting. They connect and share and for the first time, Ava has someone who actually accepts her as a person. Not a burden or a vessel for the halo, but Ava Silva, the girl inside that's been so alone for so long.
I think that's why Ava is so bouncy with Bea, falls for her so easily, because Beatrice saw Ava's zest for life and her need for love and embraced it. Saw it as something worth fighting for, beyond the halo or duty, Beatrice liked HER. Probably the first person who felt that way since her mother was taken from her (outside of Diego, but he was so young it couldn't have been the same).
Anyway, this long winded post that probably doesn't make any sense is just my way of saying that I love Ava. I love her joy and her humor. I love that she has had so much pain dumped on her and still chooses to smile. Given the way she was treated and the power she was given, Ava could have been a villain. She could have carried a hatred for god or the world and everyone in it who forgot about her but she didn't. Instead, she found the life and love she desperately wanted and gave up everything to protect it.
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yamujiburo · 2 months
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I'd like to join the kind words dogpile that seems to be happening and thus! I've been following your art stuff for a long time and have always gotten HUGE enjoyment out of it. I've loved every moment of your hanamusa comics from the get-go!
I love that weight gain is shown as a sign not just of health but of HEALING with Jessie's character, something not just to be accepted but actively celebrated. Because she is safer, stabler, better cared for. I love equally that James and Meowth are a part of that, both as Jessie's friends, for her recovery, and for their own separate paths forward. It's all just a wonderful cartoon villain redemption story, right up my alley.
Additionally, within the past year, year and a half range, I've slowly started drawing again. For most of my life I drew for at least a while every single day. I was never not dreaming up stories and there's still nothing I love more than sharing the little worlds inside my head, but things were pretty rough and unstable for my family for a couple of years and its impact on my mental and physical health led to my ceasing to draw almost entirely for those couple of years.
Having the energy and luxury to pursue art again has been a healing step and I'm slowly getting back into a groove of trying to sketch a bit daily. I'm having to relearn a lot of things that used to feel almost as natural as breathing, so it's often as draining and frustrating as it is cathartic and fun.
It's been so long since I did much of anything with my own ideas and stories that I often feel tapped out on creative fuel, but following the hanamusa arc and seeing how much joy other people take in it- and most importantly that you take in it and in sharing it- have helped revive a lot of love and inspiration for my own takes on the Ketchum family and my still intense and deep love of the anime series. My portrayals and such are wildly different from the adventure of hanamusa, but I love them both and have been grateful for the courage and persistence the presence of your art and writing have lent me. So you have my sincere thanks for simply Being, and for sharing of yourself and your ideas!
I know you doubtlessly get a LOT of messages every single day, so I hope you'll not feel a need to reply to this one because there is no need at all. If and when you have a chance to read this, I do hope it brightens your day a bit, like jessie. ash and delia always brighten mine. Be well, and I hope this coming year will be full of positive experiences for you!
aw thank you, i really appreciate it! (and thank you to everyone else who's been sending nice asks)
it makes me happy to hear you've been able to start drawing again! drawing and sharing my art makes me feel so at peace and happy and i only hope it makes anyone else who does art feel the same
best of luck with all your art making endeavors!
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virginiaisforvampires · 2 months
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omg virginia! jacob’s new interview has me so worried he won’t be in season 3! what do you make of his comment about saying goodby to louis? i think doing that with pebbles is to much if he mean saying by between seasons!?!
Hey! 💜
So, I don’t think Jacob is going anywhere. 😏 His comments are, imo, an inadvertent easter egg about Louis’ upcoming arc in S2 and beyond.
Let me explain and beware of spoilers below!
Here’s his actual quote:
But yeah, I can say this I think without spoiling anything, but if I do then EXCLUSIVE *laughs* but um, at the end of shooting this season, I’d got like a handful of rocks from the Dubai set and I put them in a little pouch, like a little baggy, and I started to spread them….like I started to basically, like, spread Louis’ ashes….in like, in significant places. It was in New Orleans, uh, it was in New Orleans to make sense of this. But yeah, so I put them in Louis places to say goodbye to him for a bit. You know? Because he’s been, like, that show and him have been so much a part of my brain for the last two years.
First of all, I haven’t had a chance to listen to the entire podcast, but I know Jacob reiterates in this interview (and across multiple previous interviews) that Louis and Lestat are a couple from TVL onward and married by the end of the books. He also said in this interview that without the Loustat relationship, there is no show.
I’m pulling his exact quote:
“They are in a romantic relationship in the books. They’re married by the end. Maybe Anne Rice didn’t fully know what their relationship was at first – the style is very different in the first book. Lestat is this kind of goblin monster torturing Louis. But when you look back with the context from further books, you see this man was just very repressed and so hurt by what happened between him and Lestat that he couldn’t acknowledge him as his lover, as his partner, as his great love. But by the second book, they’re absolutely a couple. And because we’re adapting the whole of The Vampire Chronicles and taking things from later books and repurposing them, the idea of telling this story and them not being a couple… well, there’s no show! Their love story, as messed up as it is, is the heart of it.”
In the podcast, Jacob says “…. to say goodbye to him for a bit.”
A bit. As in temporarily, which brings me to my second point.
If S2 culminates like myself and others have speculated, Louis will attempt suicide by burning himself in the sun. It was actually foreshadowed in 1x01:
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Jacob clarified his comment wasn’t a spoiler, but it was certainly a choice to metaphorically compare his handful of rocks to Louis’ ashes. It also must have triggered something in his brain if he felt the need to say it wasn’t a spoiler.
Well, no. It’s technically not a spoiler. Louis’ ashes aren’t scattered. They are revived by his estranged husband who awakens from a coma to bring him back by spilling his blood over Louis’ burnt (ashes) form. That brings me to my final point.
Louis in Dubai is not okay. He is in despair. He’s in a very dark, cripplingly depressive mental state. That is the exact headspace he’s in when he attempts suicide in Merrick, and it’s his lowest point in all the books. There’s also the aspect of Claudia’s diaries already being utilized in the show. One of the biggest, jaw-dropping revelations from all the books comes in Merrick when Louis finds out via her diary that she used him against Lestat and hated him and blamed him (even more than Lestat) for her state.
I believe that same revelation wrt Claudia’s true character will be one of the biggest, most sobering bombshells of S2. Claudia is being softened, protected, and idealized by Louis. Armand is also shielding Louis from something pertaining to Claudia, because he has cut out pages from her diary, whereas Louis ripped them out. All of the stars are aligning, and they all point to the Merrick ending happening in S2.
It’s like I’ve said before, and Rolin has reiterated this fact. Louis’ and Lestat’s arcs are set up much differently in the books than what a TV show demands, and the show is focusing on the relationship between them.
I’m pulling Rolin’s exact quote:
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Certain plots and arcs will have to be tailored and merged to make things flow. Louis will be a key player in the show unlike his sidelining in the books. As Jacob stated above, without that element, there is no show.
When Louis is revived in Merrick, he is changed. He’s no longer that static Louis prone to grief and despair, and I simply think by having him in that dark headspace already in the show, it would be repetitive to drag him down that particular road of grief and trauma again for a later suicide attempt. He’s already at that point now. So yeah, I really think the show is basically kickstarting Louis’ healing journey and putting him side-by-side with Lestat for the rest of the main arcs as they move through their paralleling journeys together, which is what should have happened in the books, but Anne took a detour of distractions until she got back on track with Prince Lestat and since those books are some of the ones both Rolin and Sam have referenced as being already incorporated into the show, it stands to reason the show is also tailoring some of those aforementioned detours and filling in those “read between the lines” gaps when it comes to Loustat.
Calm down, guys. Louis isn’t going anywhere. 😉💜
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zweetpea · 3 months
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Freedom or Anarchy? Part 2 of 2
Cw: cringe, swears, innuendos. Mondstadt arc has concluded. Next chapter will hopefully be out by Monday. (Expect Monday or Tuesday)
‘Where am I?’
‘What happened to me?’
‘I wanna go home!’
“Time to get up.” You hear someone call. The voice sounds familiar, deep and most likely male (you don’t want to assume). 
You open your eyes and see blue. You’re still groggy from Albedo’s tea so you can’t really stand. Someone picks you up, supporting you under your legs and you back. 
‘Hang on, if this is Mondstadt… the only man with blue here is.’ “Kae…ya?” You say groggily. 
“She speaks… or are you a he? Hard to tell.” He sets you down on a couch in an office.
“This is the terrorist Albedo gave us?” Lisa asks. You can’t quite move but you aren’t as tired as before. 
“We’ll have to tie… him? Her? …Ah up! Tie up the terrorist.” Jean says. 
“Them… I’m gender fluid. I go by them. Sometimes I’m a he, sometimes I’m a she. But my pronouns are always them.”
“Well, at least we’re getting answers.” Lisa giggles. 
You say as Kaeya binds your wrists and ankles with rope. You lean forward onto him and whisper to only him. “Tighter, daddy~” 
“Sky, where did you say that Light and Paimon ran off to?” Kaeya asks, embarrassed and blushing. 
“We’ve met Barbatos, they went off to find him.” Aether says. That’s right, the twins didn’t tell anybody their real names. 
“We’re back! And we’ve brought a friend!” Paimon cheers. 
“Obviously this goes without saying but no one can mention this man’s true identity, okay.” Jean states with a harsh tone that you’ve never heard from her before. Everyone nods, except for you. 
Venti walks towards you and you look at him. “Are you the one Celestia fears?” 
“I have no idea what that means.” 
“The descender, the honored one, the adored one. Do any of these names ring a bell?” 
“No?” 
“Do not lie to me! Albedo said-” 
“Why the F you lyin’~ why you always lyin’~” 
“…” 
“Sorry I have a tendency to reference memes and vines. I’m Gen Z, it’s a part of who we are. I’m kidding, I think that’s just me.” 
“So the Adored One has a name, Jen.”
“No that’s-” 
“And these “Me-ms” and “vines” must be your sacred texts! You’re a nature spirit aren’t you!”
“No! And for the record I don’t think you are a god!” 
“Wow, the honored one looks down upon me.” 
“Boys, Girls, and squirrels, listen up! Because I’ll only say this once. I’m not from this world. I want to go home. The world I come from none of you are real.” 
“Honored one, saying “Boys, Girls, and squirrels” doesn’t help your claim that you aren’t a nature spirit.” 
“Oh for Shucks sake. Actually can I swear in here? I don’t think so. Hell! Bullshit! Kaeya’s tight Ass! Lisa’s big boobies! Mmhmm boobies~” you start to laugh maniacally. “I need to be put in a mental hospital.” 
“Oh for the love of-” Lumine cuts herself off and goes up to you then shakes your. “Pull yourself together long enough for us to get answers.” 
“Right, right. I’m just a college kid who majored in computer science and engineering. The world I come from you all are a game and I hacked into your code which brought me here. That “Boys, Girls, and squirrels” comment comes from a YouTuber I watch semi frequently.”
(A/n: Danny Motta is his name. He’s pretty funny. Go check him out) 
“How’d you heal Stormterror then.” Aether asked. 
“The sustainer of heavenly principles gave me her powers.” 
“So… none of us are real?” Amber asks. 
“Well, I don’t know how I’d be here if you guys weren’t real but to me you’re just a game. Any of you can be killed and revived at the Statue of the Seven.” 
“I suppose that does poke holes in my credibility as an archon.” Venti twiddles his thumbs. 
“Can I please leave now? I can take Dvalin with me and we can just leave.” 
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. If Stormterror is still enraged we can’t let him destroy other nations. It could spark an all out war.” Jean says. 
“What if we let them stay at that broken down building?” Aether suggests. 
“I still think that we should keep Jen here just in case Stormterror gets any more ideas about attacking Mondstadt.” 
“So we use Jen as a bargaining chip?” Lumine chimes in. 
“Exactly.” 
“Okay if you guys are going to call me Jen can you at least make it Gen with a G? I want to be different.” 
“But Jean! Isn’t that basically asking Stormterror for a fight?” 
“Amber’s right Jean. If we’re going to keep them here we’ll need a plan to tame Stormterror.” Lisa says. 
“I’ll tame him.” Venti says assuredly. “We just have to keep them here long enough for me to calm him down.” 
“BARBATOS!” Dvalin calls from outside. “GIVE ME BACK WHATS MINE!” 
“Everyone! To your stations! Protect the city at all costs!” Jean shouts and everyone rushes from the room. 
“Shit! I have to get out of here!” 
“Master Jean! I’m scared!” Klee runs into the office. 
“Klee! Perfect timing, I’m your brother’s friend.”
“Your big brother Albedo’s friend? Why are you tied up?” 
“It’s a long story. Right now I need you to untie me so I can save everyone.” 
“You can do that? I don’t know, usually only bad people are tied up.” 
“No no! Klee it’s more complicated. You want to save Albedo and Jean and Kaeya, Lisa, Amber, Razor and everyone else right? Then you have to untie me so I can make Stormterror go away.” 
“How do I know that you aren’t lying?” 
‘If gold knows me. Chances are Alice will too.’ “Your mom knows me. I’m the adored one. You can ask her about me.” 
“Mom knows you?”
“Yeah, and you know about Albedos secret lab in the mountains right? I’ve been there. He told me about how much he cared about you.” 
“You’ve gone there?! You really do know Albedo. Okay!” She comes over and unties you. 
“Thanks.” You go over to the window, open it up and shout. “Dvalin!” He comes rushing to you at your cry and you jump out the window and grab onto his tail. 
He flies towards the woods and you land in a stone arena. “Andrius! I need a favor.” 
“What could the East Wind possibly want from me?” 
“Protect the Adored one at all costs. 
“How can this puny human be the Adored one?”
As the two bicker you quietly sneak away. As you climb out of the arena you stop when you see black boots and look up. 
“Who are you.” Diluc looks down at you. 
“I am iron man.” 
“Iron man?” Dvalin roses as he and Andrius start to brawl. 
“Can you get me out of here?” 
“Are you the one rumored to have healed Stormterror?” 
“Maybe.” 
“Come on.” He grabs your arm and hoists you up. He then picks you up and throws you over his shoulder and starts to run. 
“Hey! Am I just a sack of potatoes to you?” 
“Quiet down or they’ll hear us.” He runs and runs until you two get to a water bank. “Follow this past west and you’ll be in Liyue.” He tells you as he sets you down. 
“Oh wow. My own dark knight. How romantic. Well for saving the fair ward of the dragon you get a kiss, as a reward.” 
“No thank you.” He grimaces at you. 
“Oh come on! I was promised debauchery! You’re no fun.” 
“Just leave.” 
“Thanks for saving me! I’m coming back for that kiss though!” You say as you run off. 
‘Hot dragon archon here I come! Please be like a lizard and have two co-‘
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ilikedetectives · 18 days
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I romance Minthara as Tav and in both occasions where my Tav: (1) refused illithid power and saved the city and (2) accepted illithid power and saved the city, Minthara does mourn the fact that Tav refused the power to literally become a god, but understands and quickly looks forward to future conquests. And not only that, she chooses to take Tav's name (huge deal for a matriarch society like drow, let alone the Baenre family name). Minthara is also willing to die along with Tav during the final battle!?!?!? She cares for Tav ok.
So it makes no sense for her to breakup with Durge on the spot for refusing to be a god's slave, when she doesn't break up w/ Tav for refusing to be a god altogether. And this is shown in the Elfsong Tavern ending and the epilogue. Being a god sounds wayyyy more powerful than a god's slave. Not to mention commanding an army of illithids and the power to create more fighters for yourself??? Did I also mention the ability to control dragons if you seize the brain? lol
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Minthara: there is nothing we can not do together...But despite everything we gave up when we destroyed the brain, it is good to be here with you.
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And even if Durge didn't seize the Netherbrain, her attitude is more of "the past is in the past, I look forward to future conquests."
Given that Larian brought back the writers for the epilogue, they must have looked into the ending with redeemed Durge to write the epilogue, so tbh I'd go with that instead.
Also not to mention if Durge rejects Bhaal, Bhaal instakill Durge but Withers revives Durge, which frees Durge from Bhaal. I feel like that should be celebrated?
TLDR: It is in character for Minthara to be mad Durge gave up their power as a knee-jerk reaction for the first few mins (also Emma Gregory's performance is *chef kiss*), but it is ooc for Minthara to refuse to see the reason why and not give Durge a chance to explain.
Oh and this is if you ignore Minthara's entire character arc with Orin (Bhaal) and her relationship with Lolth and the Absolute. After Lolth and the Absolute, Minthara would never want to be under another god's control again (She explicitly states she prefers to die than be under the Absolute's control again if Tav kicks her out of the party). So if anything she would want to be "The Absolute" herself. The whole point of starting a new house is being free from constraints and obey no god.
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Minthara in other words: it sucks you didn't seize the brain as an illithid, because the brain sex we could've had.
Minthara's disdain for the gods and the idea of serving/sacrificing for them is explicitly stated throughout the game. She craves power, but never at the expense of one's freedom/life.
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Even with Vlaakith, the only reason Minthara doesn't wanna anger Vlaakith is because Vlaakith can and will floor your entire party instantly. Not because she wants to serve any fickle god. And let's not forget where Minthara wants to go spit on Lolth's statue in Baldur's Gate lower city.
TBH I don't think Larian would add a persuasion check simply because that requires new dialogue and voice lines, as datamine dialogue doesn't show any additional content besides this abrupt breakup. So Larian would need to bring writers and Emma back if they want to do this. Or the cheaper solution is remove it? Either way there's a mod for it already so hail modders XD
Anyway, I'm glad what I have for my Durge and Minthara deviates from the game almost entirely.
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sitp-recs · 4 months
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Hello, I was wondering if you could have any friends to lovers drarry fic rec for me? I enjoy slow burn with a kind and soft Draco (where he isn’t a bully) or one where draco stood for the light side of the war (so preferably during the war). I just want want to see Draco have a strong friendship with the golden trio, really! (I don't mind if the romance is a subplot. I just want a focus on Draco)
(I quite literally watched Harry Potter with my sister thinking Draco was going to have a hell of a redemption arc and was sorely disappointed... So here I am seeking for comfort fics)
Anyways thanks in advance!
Hi anon! I feel you, Draco’s redemption arc was poorly done and so frustrating :( I hope you’ll enjoy these as they combine slow burn, friends to lovers and redeemed Draco. Some are told from Harry’s pov and while Draco’s not always soft I think his characterization will be right up your alley. You might also enjoy GallaPlacidia’s Draco, her fics were taken down but you can find them here. Finally, I have also added my personal favorites redemption arc as a separate category, highly recommend them. Enjoy!
Friends to lovers slow burn:
Vortex by @xanthippe74 (T, 20k)
The idea of perfectly-matched soulmates feels more like a curse than a blessing to Draco. Who would want a soulmate who was a schoolyard bully, a Death Eater, and a convicted felon? Certainly not Harry Potter. And Draco is determined to take this secret to the grave.
Nice Things by aideomai (M, 22k)
The first thing that happened was Theodore Nott came back from France.
With Great Yawns and Stretchings by sugar_screw (T, 22k)
The coffee is very good. Really. And the cats are so cute. That's why Harry goes so often.
Moldova's Magical Tea by @aibidil (E, 32k)
Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and—to everyone’s surprise—Draco Malfoy are opening a magical tea shop to revive wizarding tea culture and, hopefully, to bring the community together after the war. Harry, who is unemployed and trying to find his way in post-war society, wants to help his friends with their new business—but that means spending a lot of time around Malfoy.
Open For Repairs by @drarrytrash (M, 35k)
After the war, Draco works at a tv repair shop and Harry breaks things.
Follow the Water by @xanthippe74 (T, 38k)
Harry Potter’s life is fine. Maybe a little dull and predictable, but he shouldn’t complain about that, right? When he unexpectedly finds himself at Luna’s house one afternoon, Harry gets invited to join the secret wonderland that she’s creating with a surprising group of friends. Maybe a summer outdoors is just what a former hero needs to bring some zest back into his life.
Modern Love by @tackytigerfic (E, 61k)
Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.
Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love by @aibidil (E, 80k)
In which a group of wizards' rights activists goes on the offensive after a prohibition against love potions, forcing the magical world to confront the horror of magic's role in sexual assault and the murky legal nature of consent. Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Draco are swept together to solve the case, and in the process they're made to confront their own love and lust—with and without potions.
At Your Service by Faith Wood (E, 95k)
Hogwarts students are in danger; Harry is determined to save them all. There's only one thing he knows for certain: Draco Malfoy is somehow involved.
All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl (M, 114k)
Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.
My favorites - Redemption arc:
And Save Me From Bloody Men by @blamebrampton (T, 10k)
Draco Malfoy once watched others fighting to stop the world falling apart. This time, he's not just watching.
Slithering by astolat (E, 27k)
Draco found the nest down in the Manor’s cellars, while he was clearing them out.
Heal Thyself by astolat (T, 47k)
"Are you going for the course?" Lovegood asked. "You have the NEWTs.” “What course?” Draco said, then, “No, don’t be ridiculous,” when he realized she meant the notice pinned up on the board he’d been staring at: Applicants To The Introductory Mediwizard Course For The Coming Term Shall Present Themselves In The Chief Mediwizard’s Office By August 24th.
A Young Radical's Guide to Love by @blamebrampton (T, 66k)
Memories of the war are still fresh, which is all the excuse Decent People need to do appalling things. In this quietly waged conflict, Draco Malfoy is happy to be on the right side of things for once, and even happier to find he’s not alone.
A Thousand Beautiful Things by geoviki (M, 104k)
Draco Malfoy struggles with changed fortunes, shifted alliances, an ugly war, and an unusual spell, with the help of a concerned professor, an insightful house-elf, and an unexpected Gryffindor friend.
Changing Tides by carpemermaid (E, 109k)
Draco has spent half of his life spouting the things his father has taught him without much thought about how he feels about what he says. When he unexpectedly comes face to face with the Dark Lord, he grapples with the harsh realities of the world and struggles with his changing views on life.
Far From The Tree by aideomai (E, 112k)
The arrival of Harry Potter’s children—snapped back in time, the children themselves guessed, twenty or so years—was the most interesting thing to happen at Hogwarts for years.
By the Grace by lettered (T, 140k)
Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.
Eclipse by Mijan (T, 287k)
Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.
Twist of Fate by Oakstone730 (T, 302k)
Draco asks Harry to help him beat the Imperius curse during 4th year. The lessons turn into more than either expected. A story of redemption and forgiveness.
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gendrie · 2 months
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And no one had raised a voice or drawn a blade or anything, not Harwin who always talked so bold, or Alyn who was going to be a knight, or Jory who was captain of the guard. Not even her father. (Arya, AGOT)
a notable aspect to arya's arc is her having to confront that the northerners, both stark men and their bannermen, are flawed and, frequently, of dubious loyalty. this issue is introduced very early on, in her second chapter, and it leaves arya reeling. she had an idealized perspective of these men, in particular, those who serve her father and eddard himself. arya is close with the stark household and admires her father. so arya is deeply disappointed when none of them prevent the injustices on the trident.
She might have been able to trick a Frey or one of the Brave Companions, but the Dreadfort men had served Roose Bolton their whole life, and they knew him better than she did. If I tell him I am Arya Stark and command him to stand aside . . . No, she dare not. He was a northman, but not a Winterfell man. He belonged to Roose Bolton. (Arya, ACOK)
in harrenhal she learns the (horrific) extent to which northern men will inflict harm themselves when the boltons take over the castle. they kill, rape and terrorize those within and arya is forced to watch it all. roose is one of robb's bannermen, but he is not worthy of trust nor are those who serve him and arya realizes this as she escapes the castle.
The look she gave him was full of hurt. "I thought you were my father's man." "Lord Eddard's dead, milady. I belong to the lightning lord now, and to my brothers." [...] He gave her a searching look. "Can you understand what I am telling you?" "Yes." That he was not Robb's man, she understood well enough. And that she was his captive. (Arya, ASOS)
and even men who formerly served at winterfell can find new leadership. harwin is someone arya knew since she was a little baby, but he is no longer a man of winterfell. arya is, understandably, resentful of being taken captive, but her dynamic with the brotherhood is layered. they do treat her well and want to do right by her despite their plan to ransom her. arya also accepts that they need resources to fund their mission. harwin shows that he still care for the starks by pleading with beric to revive catelyn.
She looked at their filthy hair and scraggly beards and reddened eyes, at their dry, cracked, bleeding lips. Wolves, she thought again. Like me. Was this her pack? How could they be Robb's men? She wanted to hit them. She wanted to hurt them. She wanted to cry. They all seemed to be looking at her, the living and the dead alike. The old man had squeezed three fingers out between the bars. "Water," he said, "water." (Arya, ASOS)
again, arya is forced to witness the crimes the northerners (and their allies) committed in the riverlands. the karstark men are being tortured to death for their crimes when arya rides thru the stoney sept. she does not look away, but instead she shows them mercy. arya gives each man one last drink of water before they are executed. this is something i feel embodies her responsibility as a stark: to show mercy but to see that justice is met
these are significant experiences for arya. its an extension of ned's advice to "know the men who follow you". arya needs to know the limitations, failings, loyalties and crimes of those who claim to serve house stark. whoever is going to lead the north cannot be ignorant of those nuances. this is the stuff of northern leadership.
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fumifooms · 2 months
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Marchil crumbs part 6
Part 1 - Part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 7
Wake up broskis Adventurer’s Bible 2 is dropping soon
Love getting the confirmation that she specifically was the one to invite him and his fam to the dinner in the "Thank you for reading!" page… Love that it kinda confirms that her and Senshi greeting them first is them being like "Uh thanks for the invite" "Thanks for coming!!". Love that canon is the best marchil factory
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Laios haterism is a deep bond not easily forgotten… I love that even post-canon they tend to stick to each other in groups and go in a corner together like old women ready to gossip and whisper meanly.
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Also oh hey Marcille got her bangs cut even… Sad, that’s invalidating my post-canon appearance take for her but y’know what cute, she doesn’t style them at all anymore too… WAIT. She doesn’t style her hair anymore… She leaves it undone and flowing… As per his succubi she’s closer to his ideal omggggg no way… At the beginning of the comic she even just wears a headband. She seems to just wear way simpler hairstyles in general in the other comics too.
Oh and by the way her braids in post-canon are messy… Which, y’all know I hc who does her hair for her always changes and isn’t always the same, but the braid looks like the one Chilchuck made for her, so <;3 Here are some more pics about it/why it’s plausible
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He’s such a hater, Falin came late too why’s he singling her out
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Speaking of Falin, Marcille so casually touching Chil to chide him about a snide remark he made about Falin (aka the person she would go to war for, and he only gets a gentle chiding? Aw)
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Already during the dragon arc there’s some progress from this
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I love how the two pics below during the Thistle’s house arc show how they breached the gap in their different, their respective prejudice against the other. So funny that the time Marcille goes "yeah elves kinda suck" is at the worst possible timing lmao, meanwhile Chil is ready to vehemently defend magic use against someone (bc he doesn’t want to go to prison rip). With the page before that panel where he imagines the western elves all evil and all too, it’s really nice to note how big the gap between them was at first with the historical horrors the elves have committed, and what a strong brong they’ve made through it all anyways.
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Ok time to address what I hinted at last part and in another post but I think the anime frames this scene a lil different which I think is funny. In the manga Chilchuck walks to her bedside to call out to her to wake her up close, but in the anime he sort of just speaks in her direction. So Marcille heard "Hey, clumsy-head.” and knew it was targeted at her, she went like oh someone is calling me I need to wake up lmfaoo? Listen that’s good for the ship, she woke up because it was his voice and insults like "clumsy" and "dummy" are practically his pet names for her, and it’s also neat how she was the one he chose to call out to in the first place- Why? If it’s bed placement, Laios was on his other side, is it because some need rest more than others? Or perhaps, because he finds interacting with her to be the easiest and he knows she won’t make a big deal out of it?
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Speaking of making a big deal out of things. Ok so first of all, during the cockatrice chapter, he’s funny. Staring at his petrified party member like 😬 And look at his little relieved sigh when she gets revived! Standing in the corner and doesn’t care for celebrating, but he cares nonetheless.
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And then look… He worked hard to get Marcille un-petrified again too, gathering medicinal herbs even with the risks! And in the end, he wants to take credit for what revived her hehe.
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For once she’s the one who gets to tease him lol.
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I want to know how the group whispering strategizing went. Chil for sure was part of the "If we tell her she’ll look cute she’ll take the bait" convo. Funny that in the end he doesn’t even praise her, I think he’s the one talking about her frog-like silhouette… Edit: EPSODE 10 IS OUT GUESS WHAAT Laios is the one saying the frog silhouette is fun (should have seen it coming) Chilchuck is the one saying "that looks great on you"/"very cute" depending on the translation, the line delivery in the eng dub at least sounds shaky, sounds like hesitance.
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You know I never put this in a marchil comp/post even tho it’s a page with a lot to say, and I only realized recently why it made me so uneasy/conflicted. Because by all means "Our magician successfully stood against the mad magician" is flattering, but Chilchuck’s point in this page is that he’s worried about how her life is gonna go, which ties into his worry for others about the law, their jobs, the way Puckpatti is carefree, etc. In this chapter he suppresses his worry and care with anger, but the point still remains that he’s worried for her and her professional future and thus like, her general life direction and all. Sigh anyways more analysis coming on this topic at some point
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Looking out for her:
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Keeping each other in check. Always gets to me how much she listens to him when the topic’s serious
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Love how this is how the party naturally divides. Sigh Chil, Marcille & Izu are so family shaped…
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Ep 7 is out and was fun! Not many marchil moments though. This one was notable though lol, never caught it while reading. Truly they are comrades in fear, hide behind each other when something unpleasant is happening. They would risk their life for each other but also they would throw each other under a bus and use as a meat shield if necessary /hj
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Anime director doodle! Them against the world…
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Get yourself a man who looks at you like this after you did dark magic and caught him shit-talking.
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See you soon! With the anime and the new adventurer’s bible I have no doubt that I’ll find more to share with them shipping goggled eyes o’ mine in no time, And if you follow these as they come up, go back to look at the end of the last part in case you missed the crumbs I edited in up until it was completed!
30 pics have been reached in this part… See u later gators
Part 7 here
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akiizayoi4869 · 9 months
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If there's one part about Vegeta's arc that I absolutely love, it would be this:
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His regression in season 8 was very well done. It wasn't shoehorned in and it made sense. I remember seeing on Reddit years ago people complaining about this specific part of his arc, saying that it made no sense for him to regress the way he did when he was redeemed at this point. But consider this. It makes perfect sense when you factor in one thing: he wasn't redeemed yet. He was still going through his redemption arc by this point.
Vegeta wasn't raised to be a family man. He was raised to be a killing machine. He was raised with the idea in mind that he would one day be the king of the Saiyan race. All of that got taken away from him. His belief that he was the strongest Saiyan alive was taken when Goku became a Super Saiyan and defeated Frieza, and again when Gohan became a Super Saiyan 2 and killed Perfect Cell. And then Goku makes the choice to stay dead instead of coming back to life via the dragon balls. So now, Vegeta's one rival, the person who he swore he would one day surpass and defeat is gone for good. So all Vegeta has left at this point is the family he created with Bulma. Something that he most likely never envisioned for himself. So he decides to live a life on earth with her and their son.
Everything seems to be going fine for Vegeta....until the World Martial Arts Tournament happens. And Goku decides to return on this one day so that he can participate. Suddenly, all of the feelings that Vegeta bottled up over the last 7 years since Goku's death comes rushing to the surface. Finally, after all this time, Vegeta could finally prove that he's better than Goku. They even get matched up to fight each other in the tournament! How lucky is that, right? And then this guy happens:
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And just like that, Vegeta's chance to fight Goku is now shattered thanks to this new threat to Earth. Instead of his attention being on him, Goku has his sights set on defeating Buu before he can be revived. For the entire time Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, and the Supreme Kai are in Babidi's lair, Vegeta is angry. He's waited 7 years for the chance to fight Goku again, and now that he finally gets the chance to do so, this happens. We see Vegeta's mood get worse and worse throughout the time they fight Babidi's minions, and it's gets so bad to the point where Babidi is able to get Vegeta under his control. Now, as Vegeta pointed out later on, he actually could of fought off Babidi's mind control. But he chose not to. Why? Because he saw how powerful Babidi's minions were while they were under his control. So Vegeta figured he could use some of that power to do this:
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Fight Goku without any interruptions. Which is what he wanted from the start. Even though he knew that fighting would give more energy to Buu and thus revive him, Vegeta didn't care. So long as he got to fight Goku. Keep in mind that this is the same guy who let Semi-Perfect Cell absorb Android 18, despite the fact that he knew it could end up being a bad decision. But Vegeta didn't care because he wanted a good fight.
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Now there's one line that Vegeta said to Goku during this fight that always stuck with me from the moment I heard it back when I was a kid. When Goku asks him why did he do all of this, Vegeta responds with "Because I wanted him to reawaken the evil within my heart. I wanted him to return me to the way I was...BEFORE!!! I WAS THE PERFECT WARRIOR! COLD AND RUTHLESS! I LIVED BY MY STRENGTH ALONE! UNINHIBITED BY FOOLISH EMOTION!!! But slowly...over the years... I became one of you. My quest for greatness gradually giving way to this life of mediocrity. I awoke one day to find that I had settled down and formed a family. I had even grown quite fond of them. Would you believe, I almost started thinking that the Earth was a nice place to live. Do you understand now, Kakarrot? That's why I needed Babidi! To set me free! By releasing the evil within my heart! He has freed me of these petty attachments. And I have to say it feels pretty good."
That entire speech he gave to Goku summarized PERFECTLY the internal conflict that Vegeta had going on within him. On the one hand, he wants this. He wants to feel strong again. He wants to defeat Goku and prove that he's better than him once and for all. He wants the life of a warrior back, because for so long that's all he knew. But on the other hand, he knows that the way he's going about it is wrong. Like he just admitted to Goku, there's a small part of him that loves the life he made for himself, and that he loves his family, too. Which is why Goku then says to him "Do you really believe what you're saying?". Now, Vegeta doesn't respond to this, but he doesn't have to. His silence is his answer. After that, the long awaited fight between these two begins. And after a while, Vegeta does come to the realization that he fucked up big time, and that he needs to do something to make up for it. Which is why he does this:
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He knocks Goku out while his back is turned. Why? Because he wants to fight Majin Buu alone. Because if it hadn't been for Vegeta's desire to fight Goku, Majin Buu probably wouldn't have gotten the energy he needed to be revived. So Vegeta decides to take full responsibility for everything and take on Buu himself. To me, this is when his redemption arc comes full circle, because of his sacrifice. He knows that he can't beat Majin Buu through normal means, so what does he do? Blow himself up in an explosion that he's certain will destroy Buu along with him.
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Vegeta even says in his mind that he's doing this for Bulma, Trunks, and even Goku. Something that I'm pretty sure a lot of us never thought we would ever hear him say. That he's doing something for other people. That he's not doing this for himself. I'm pretty sure that he saw this as his way to atone (hence why this move is called "final atonement" in the video games) but the fact remains that he did it anyway. Sure, we see Vegeta get angry when Perfect Cell killed Future Trunks, but still. That moment can't compare to this one. All in all, Majin Vegeta is the best part of Vegeta's redemption arc and the way how it's written really did an excellent job in wrapping it up.
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deripmaver · 9 months
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analyzing kentaro miura’s words on casca’s recovery
Below I’ve attached three separate screenshots of translations of a 2019 interview done by Young Animal ZERO magazine with Kentaro Miura on the topic of Casca’s recovery and revival. These aren’t new of course, but I want to discuss my reaction to them, and also discuss how I think they fit in with the current direction the story has taken with Studio Gaga’s chapters. 
First up, a fan translation originally from skullknight.net, reposted to twitter:
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Up next, a google translated version from kojion on twitter, who’s provided a few interviews that haven’t yet reached English speaking fans:
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Finally, I’m not 100% sure what this is. It seems to follow from the above screenshots, but it’s not clear if this is just kojion’s interpretation of the interview response, or if this is specifically something Kentaro Miura said. I messaged him on twitter to ask, and I’ll update this post accordingly with his response!
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This interview response was, no exaggeration, like a balm on my soul to read the first time I saw it. With how prevalent rape is in Berserk, and with how long it took for Casca to be revived, I admit I couldn’t help falling into this pit of frustration where I wondered if Miura even knew the extent of how awful what he put her through was. Her mental state, of course, did indicate he was aware of that - and then her revival happened, and the corridor of dreams, and I just remember being in actual tears because of how we went into Casca’s mind to show the trauma from her eyes. I can’t think of a more effective way to show something as serious as rape, genuinely. 
And then, of course, this interview response, and again I remember thinking: Wow. This author really gets it. It was the thing that really made me confident in his ability to tell the story of Casca’s recovery. 
First up, the very first part of the response: Casca’s awakening is not the end of her journey, it’s the beginning. This is absolutely, incredibly realistic. I think Miura likes to tease the audience in a sort of mean way lol, there’s the beautiful, dramatic panels where Casca awakens, and she’s put in that gorgeous fairy dress - almost like a wedding dress, you could say - and she’s sent off to have her romantic reunion with Guts... 
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And lol. We all remember how that went. Miura is such a troll lmao (affectionate)(kind of).
But of course, just because she’s in control of her mind again doesn’t at ALL mean she’s processed her trauma. Guts has had years to process what happened, but she’s been completely stuck this whole time.
We know from her dreamscape that it was Griffith’s betrayal that really, truly broke her mind (I won’t include the panels here because I don’t want to CRY), and that sort of loss of trust is in no way mended by simply returning to herself. Again, then, two things that made me so astonishingly confident in Miura’s ability to tell Casca’s story from the interview: He's writing Casca as a human, who will react in a natural, human way to her trauma, and that she needs to face up to what Griffith did. This, to me, very clearly indicates that her upcoming arc is going to be focused on facing up to the trauma Griffith caused her, and this is especially hammered in by what’s happening to her currently in canon, being stuck in Falconia with Griffith and with her memories, again, magically suppressed so she can’t begin to process anything. I genuinely can’t imagine any other way for things to go for her.
One more note before I go on to my ~predictions~ based on the current chapters is that I want to highlight this panel here: 
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If you follow me on twt you’ve seen me say this before but PTSD flashbacks have the person not just remembering the traumatic event, but feeling as though they’re experiencing the traumatic event all over again. Miura is aware that Casca simply regaining her memories wouldn’t be the end of her recovery but the beginning, knows that the real key to healing is processing the traumatic event, and knows that PTSD flashbacks make you feel as though you’re experiencing the trauma all over again. It’s far more sensitive than I’d expect most authors, let alone a cishet dude mangaka lol. 
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR CASCA?
I need to admit I’m making this post because earlier I got into a conversation on tumblr with someone who claimed that people read too much into Miura’s comments on Casca’s recovery, that they don’t indicate that she’ll successfully heal, that there’s no indication from the comments that he intended to write a full deep dive into Casca’s mental state and trauma, and that for all we know this would just be a side plot a la Farnese’s growth. 
My position is that I genuinely can’t think of anything else that Casca’s upcoming storyline could be about besides her struggling with her trauma (and of course trying to escape Falconia, but in my mind those go hand in hand). I also think that I simply have different ideas about how important Casca is narratively than this person, which is the root of our difference in opinion on Casca’s recovery. 
Right now, Casca has been kidnapped by Griffith and taken to Falconia, where she is being magically drugged to suppress her memories, and her healing. Her storyline necessitates that she get away from Griffith and out from the spell currently suppressing her personality, and getting out from under this spell will mean the return of the memories she was starting to process in Elfheim. 
While it’s terrifying that Casca is away from her support system (and has been kidnapped by her RAPIST jesus christ) I actually think being away from Guts is the necessary key to her processing Griffith’s rape on her own terms. Guts is a massive trigger for her PTSD currently, and there’s the duality of her desire to see him and the likely ensuing guilt and frustration and sadness that comes with being unable to. Without his presence around her, I actually think it’ll be easier for her because there won’t be an expectation of her being with him. 
There are people who we KNOW are in Falconia and will likely be Casca’s support system, we just currently have no idea how they’ll all meet up. I know Luca and the girls will be instrumental to Casca’s story because otherwise there would be no reason to bring them back and also for Casca to mention them explicitly in Elfheim.
The other point made by this person on tumblr is that Miura’s interview doesn’t indicate that Casca will recover. Perhaps, they say, her story will end with Casca unable to cope. I think this in people’s minds leads easily into the Apostle Casca theory, which I’ll be honest and repeat that I fucking hate so much LOL. I get it in some sense, but I really do hate it as a theory. As Miura says, though, he’s writing Casca as a real person, and there are absolutely very low points in trauma recovery, so I expect her to go through a lot of strife. 
It’s difficult in some ways to look at these responses because there’s the language barrier. “she should confront what Griffith or the monsters did” and “she will now have to overcome the trauma” both, to me, seem to positively indicate that overcome is the intended outcome, but of course I’m not sure. Now, if kojion’s second tweet is a translated quote from Miura himself and not just his analysis of it, that’s kind of a smoking gun that recovery is the intended outcome of Casca’s arc, but I’m not sure one way or another. 
This is purely based on my emotional response, but I think a story where a woman is betrayed and raped by one of her closest companions, who loses her mind for years because she’s unable to cope with the trauma of the betrayal, who finally has her memories returned to her and now needs to go on the incredibly difficult and painful journey of processing this betrayal - to have her story end tragically with the result that she’s never able to recover would...
Hm. Let’s say that it would need to be handled with extreme care. It might be the thing that gets Berserk to warrant its grimdark reputation.
As a conclusion, I think this one quote has a ton of potential for analysis inherent to it, particularly for fans of Casca, who are having a bit of a renaissance on twitter right now HAHA and I’m trying to gather them on tumblr too. If you combine it with various tidbits of Miura’s chapters from before his death, as well as the continuation by Studio Gaga, it helps create in my mind a decent picture of the trajectory of Casca’s arc, though the specifics are still up in the air. 
Either way, I want to say to any Casca stans reading this that I really do think that Casca’s story is important, and will be shown as important going forward. I always hesitate to trust cishet authors for obvious reasons lol, but at least I can say that if she’s shown to NOT be important, that will entirely be on him and his sexism, and I think it will inherently make the story weaker. I don’t think that will be the case, though. 
WE’VE WAITED THIS FUCKING LONG-
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lelengerine · 9 months
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comfort in you
pairing | streamer!haechan x streamer!reader
synopsis | sometimes (most of the time), you just need a little pick-me-up after a bit of depressing game plot.
genre | fluff, established relationship, mentions of game character death (but nothing explicit)
wc | 1.0k
notes | so i finished watching an entire 13 hour play through of omori and i was so sad i wrote this- highly suggest playing the game for yourself tho its a rollercoaster of emotions </3 as always, lmk your thoughts on this! rts and rbs are appreciated!
m.list
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solemn music plays from the speakers connected to your monitor, slowly enveloping your soul with dread as your eyes flicker between the game and the messages flowing into your stream’s chat box.
user_1: NOOOO what do you mean the sister died??
user_2: RIGHT? HOW DID THAT HAPPEN??
user_3: y/n are you sure we didn’t miss a chapter??? my eyes are bawling out TT
a soft chuckle escapes you while reading what your viewers had to say, somewhat relieving you from the heartbreaking arc of the game. “i’m pretty sure this is the right track… i feel my eyes tearing up too, you’re definitely not the only one.”
a couple more messages pop up, but you decide to focus on the game’s storyline for now. 
a little girl is hunched over her sister’s hospital bed, sobbing after the realization her beloved sibling was never going to wake up after falling from the top of the staircase in their home.
a tear slowly falls down your cheek while you stay silent and continue watching, hoping your viewers wouldn’t notice it if you act unfazed. though, it seems they have eyes sharper than you think.
user_4: Y/N DONT CRY :((( NOW IM CRYING TOO
user_5: SOMEONE GET THE EMERGENCY TISSUES!!!!!
“pshh, i’m not crying, chat!” you feign with a not-so convincing pout. you clearly have a soft spot for these type of family-oriented game plots, enjoying how they touch into the lives of people and the complexities behind them.
its during times like this where you yearn for your boyfriend, haechan, more than anything, but… you’re pretty sure he’s busy streaming another game in a different room. you face falls into a slight frown thinking about it, one your chat assumes is because of the sad story coming to a close.
a white screen snaps you out of your thoughts, signaling the game had finally ended and you turn to face the camera filming your face cam. “so… what do we think?” you ask, giving a warm smile.
user_6: GOD THAT WAS TOO MUCH
user_7: thank the heavens its done
user_8: wtf just happened…
“right? to be honest- im pretty overwhelmed.” you speak, taking a sip from your water jug next to you in hopes of letting the immense feeling dissipate, but that only does little in actually quelling it. you could really use a hug from haechan right about now… it wouldn’t hurt to leave chat for a moment right? 
“i’ll just go get something quickly then we can try to unpack the plot of the game a little better.” you tell your viewers before standing up from your computer chair and rushing over to haechan’s room.
as you approach the white door sealing his room from the hallways, you hear a string of curses pass your ears. “jisung you little shit! i said to your right not your left- no, no!! YOUR left not MY left.”
slowly, you peek through the door, getting a glimpse of your boyfriend seemingly fuming over a round of overwatch, but you (and his viewers) know that’s just how he plays — and it’s quite entertaining to hear the banter between him and his friends. 
“jaemin revive me. im by the corner- JUST WHERE ARE YOU ON THE MAP??? ahhh, im screwed for real.” he whines as his screen displays that he died in game, slumping back into his chair as he waits for the next round to start. “you guys better carry this game or else-“
“hyuck?” you finally speak up, pushing the door a little more to make room for yourself to enter. haechan’s chat goes crazy after seeing you enter his room, mostly filling up with messages to greet your entrance.
“sorry… i didn’t want to interrupt but you see- this game i was playing… it was so sad and i-“ you get cut off by your boyfriend reeling you into a hug. 
you don’t even need to listen in on his earphones to hear the coos from his friends, already used to their teasings when you and haechan are together.
“let me guess, another one about family?” oh he really just reads you like an open book, his voice much softer in comparison to how he was speaking earlier. you feel so loved knowing he pays attention to the smallest details about you. 
“mhm. i just wanted a hug.” 
“and that, you’re getting.” he chuckles, rubbing small, soothing circles on your back with his thumb. 
his embrace is warm. just what you needed after an intense, downcast game. you already feel yourself fueling back up with positivity, pulling away after a couple more seconds.
“thank you.” you smile sheepishly, feeling a little awkward his viewers just watched that entire exchange from the camera resting on top of his monitor. “i should get back to my own stream now though.” you add, giving haechan a small kiss on the cheek before waving a goodbye towards his camera. 
“i’ll give you all the cuddles and kisses later.” haechan tells you, patting your head as he lets you leave his room.
“i’ll be anticipating that.” you giggle before shutting the door behind you, and returning to your own streaming room.
“chat! sorry that took so long, but im back now!” you exclaim quite cheerily, a considerable difference to your gloomy expressions earlier.
user_9: welcome back our love <3 you look like you’re feeling much better yay
user_2: yayy happy y/n is back!
user_10: y/n was in hyuck’s stream!! they were so cute :[
user_7: omg really? man i should’ve checked it out-
you flush, realizing your actions have been found out. then again, it wasn’t that difficult for someone to know what you were doing when your boyfriend’s stream was publicized just like yours. 
“a-alright now, settle down everyone.” you chuckle, “now, what did you guys discuss so far?” 
the query has your chat switching topics in the blink of an eye, something you’re rather grateful for — knowing the blush on your cheeks already gave you away long ago. still, you'd say everything was worth it for that hug.
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Second, do you have any good fantasy RPGs set in a non-european focused or at least not medieval-European world? It can be based off of a real-world culture or something brand new
THEME: Non-Western Fantasy
Hello friend! For this recommendation, I wanted to highlight games made about non-western fantasy by authors who hail from the cultures that inspire the games. For that purpose I really want to shout-out to rpgsea and rpglatam, two community/movements that have made it much easier for creators from Southeast Asian and Latin American cultures to advertise and publish their games. Not all of my recommendations come from these communities, but they’re a great jumping-off point to find more games with unique settings, fresh ideas, and beautiful, beautiful art.
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Nahual, by Miguel Angel Espinoza.
Nahual is a tabletop roleplaying game about brjos nahuales, humans of mestizo and indigenous ancestry that have the power to shapeshifter into an animal form. These nahuales hunt angels to make a living, running a changarro - a business - together to sell the products they make from the bodies of the angels they have killed. These are stories about underdogs, struggling to find their place in a Mexican world of fantastical and overwhelming forces.
Miguel Ángel Espinoza is a Mexican layout artist and game designer, and the head of Smoking Mirror Games. His ttrpg Nahual really picked up steam on Kickstarter, unlocking stretch goal after stretch goal. At its core, this game is PbtA game about underdogs going up against celestial parasites. Angel Dust is a potent drug, and angels are used by corporations, politicians, and the Church to lure in worshipers and make money. You play the labourers at the bottom of this pyramid, aching for freedom but trapped inside a concrete jungle. Your biggest asset? The special gifts you’ve inherited from your ancestors, watered down as you’ve lost your cultural memories. 
This game is more urban fantasy than anything else on this list, but if you want to explore a game about reclaiming something that you’ve almost lost, you should definitely check out Nahual.
ARC, by momatoes.
Ready Yourself. For Tonight, we save the world.
The RPG to slay the apocalypse. Capture your imagination with near-inescapable dooms that threaten infinite worlds. Be a hero or be the guide to facilitate a heart-racing story to remember.
ARC enables people wishing to run a game with limited experience. The Doom and its Omens help create tension and manage the story’s pacing. The rules are approachable so you can focus on helping make the best story for the table. Additionally, the last chapter of the full book is filled with tips for building a good experience for you and your friends. 
The creator, Momatoes (aka Bianca Canoza), is from the Philippines, and is the custodian of RPGSEA, as well as a Winner of the Diana Jones Emerging Designer Award. Her game, ARC doesn’t have a lot of setting decided for you - instead, you decide elements of the setting yourself. There's even a license for creators who want to publish their own content! The biggest selling point of ARC is the Doom, a terrible event that the Heroes want to prevent at any cost. The GM will set up Omens, which are pieces of the story that advance the Doom - pieces the characters will need to investigate and interact with in order to resolve. Finally, the Doomsday clock is a tool that can be used to keep the sessions tight and focused: every moment on the Doomsday clock has the GM roll 1d6 per unresolved moment - the higher the roll, the closer you tick towards catastrophe! If you want a beginner-friendly game that allows maximum creativity, you should definitely check out ARC.
Arunika, by Anonymocha.
Darkness and gloom threaten to shroud the entirety of this world you call home. Or perhaps, it already had. However, there's hope.
You are a Light Bearer. This beacon of light you hold is the key to reviving the world's gleam and hope, through your own. You are bestowed with the pursuit of rekindling the world, forging bonds with its inhabitants along the path, and freeing it from the murk with what you can offer.
Arunika is a TTRPG of maintaining hope, sharing it with the world, and most importantly, caring for yourself while you're at it.
The rulebook reflects a world's journey towards revival from the characters who escalate it. It is made with the vision of a game that has a non-violent, narrative-first, and feelings-focused system which can be interpreted in many optimistic, creative, whimsical, melancholic, or introspective ways.
Mocha, the creator, is an Indonesian artist with a beautiful and unique art style, visible in the projects they create and contribute to. One person plays the Light Bearer, a character who holds the Light, a beacon that needs to be used to rekindle the world. Other players can play the Companions, friends and old foes that accompany the Light Bearer on their journey. This game can be run with just a GM and one player, with all of the Companions as NPCs. The stats of your character will fill or deplete depending on the events of the game, so Heart will increase when the party has a positive interaction, while Hurt will increase from suffering harm, or decrease when your character is comforted. If you want a game that is easy on the eyes, gives you the basic premise and lets you build your own world, you should check out Arunika. 
Hearts of Wulin, by Lowell Francis and Agatha Cheng.
Hearts of Wulin is a game of wuxia melodrama, Powered by the Apocalypse. Players take the role of skilled martial artists in a world of rival clans, conspiracies, and obligations. The game emulates films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Chinese wuxia TV series like The Smiling Proud Wanderer and Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain, and Chinese martial arts novels from the second half of the twentieth century. In these tales, romance is as dangerous as a blade. Everyone has ties to factions, loves they can’t quite express, and secrets which will shake them to their core. As in the source material, stories in Hearts of Wulin are driven by the characters’ duties, romantic desires, and entanglements with other characters.
You get everything you need to play the game in three different styles: Core, Courtly, and Fantastic. The core game is as described above: a game of wuxia melodrama featuring wandering wulin warriors. The courtly style of play sets the game in a world of politics and factional scheming. The fantastic game adds strong elements of the superrnatural to the story. Each style of play has its own playbooks and moves—it's like having three games in one! 
Agatha Cheng is a cultural consultant and a podcast host, on top of being a co-author of this wuxia-inspired game, in a genre she’s loved since childhood. Hearts of Wulin is an homage to melodramatic stories about protagonists, torn between equally treasured relationships. You may be in love with your teacher’s greatest rival, or perhaps your master and your father despise each-other. The PbtA system that Hearts is built on prioritizes emotional conflict and failure that moves the story forward, while slimming down the mechanics to simple 2d6 dice rolls. If what you’re looking for is story beats that rip your heart up and make you feel all of the feelings, you should check out this game.
Gubat Banwa, by makapatag.
Gubat Banwa is a game of rapid kinetic martial arts, violent sorcery, heartrending convictions and bouts of will. Warriors that channel gods face sorcerers that master black arts, martial artists who have unlocked a new form of cultivation clash swords with those that perfect the night alchemies.
Gubat Banwa is a  Southeast Asian fantasy martial arts Role-Playing Game, inspired by the refulgent cultures of Southeast Asia. Raise your spears, KADUNGGANAN, you elite warrior-braves and asura-knights who travel The Sword Isles to prove their conviction and dictate the fate of the world. Revel in larger-than-life war drama like in Asian Dramas, ballistic tactical martial arts grid gameplay in the vein of Lancer or Final Fantasy Tactics, and find glory beyond heaven. Wield the Thunderbolt of Liberation! Rejoice! In the Glory of Combat!
Makapatag, or Waks, is a Filipino creature who loves creating tactical ttrpgs. All of their games have strong Southeast Asian inspiration, but Gubat Banwa is what you’re looking for if you want good old fantasy. Rules-wise, the author credits Lancer, Pathfinder 2e, ICON, Ryuutama, Apocalypse World, and so many more iconic, well-loved games for their inspiration. This game is made to specifically centre Southeast Asian cultures, and the setting is not solely based in a specific historical setting, but is rather inspired by many cultures and stories of these cultures. I strongly recommend you read the Note On Intended Audience on page 4 if you get this book.
And what a book it is. 400 pages, with maps, roll-tables, an extensive dive into the lore and terms created for this book, and pages and pages of gorgeous gorgeous art. Character creation is heavily involved, incorporating the culture you hail from, the ideal you’re fighting for, major life events and debts, as well as different Disciplines, combat arts that each have their own styles, weapons, and techniques. Fighting in this game is not just a matter of survival - it is a science. If you want a game that gives you in-depth characters and hours and hours of material in a world in which every piece of lore has been carefully thought out, I heavily recommend Gubat Banwa.
Mangayaw, by goobernuts.
Mangayaw is an RPG for one facilitator (the Mangaawit) and at least one other player. Players act as Binmanwa, adventurers and survivors in an archipelago of bloodshed and goldlust. This game is inspired by Philippine legend, folklore, culture and history. The game and its setting is still a work-in-progress. Based on and inspired by Cairn, Into the Odd, Mausritter and numerous other games. 
Benj, the creator, is a member of RPGsea, and draws heavily from Philippine folklore and history for this game. This is absolutely for OSR fans, with delay fast combat, class-less and level-less characters, and a ton of equipment and magic items inspired by Philippines folklore.
Whereas many OSR games present the rules with the assumption that the GM knows what they’re doing, Mangayaw contains a page of principles for the Mangaawit, outlining narrative focus, the purpose of danger and treasure, and advice on how to present the characters with choices, NPC motivations, and the benefits of random generation. It also contains principles for the players, and principles of the World, providing guidance for folks who may be unfamiliar with the culture that inspires this setting. There’s suggestions for names, descriptions of unique items, and tables for magic and sorcery. If you love roll tables, you’ll love Mangayaw.
Brave Zenith, by Roll 4 Tarrasque.
Brave Zenith is a post-fantasy tabletop RPG, set in a world inspired by Brazilian culture and long summer nights playing JRPGs on a pirated PS1. With a set of simple interpretative rules, that focus on player creativity and imagination, explore the ruined world of pastpresent, meet colourful (and deadly) creatures, see the sights of the Second City, partake in delicious Monkey Oil and become an adventurer.
Roll 4 Tarrasque is a team of Latinx creators whose efforts won Game of the Year for 2022 at the Indie Groundbreaker Awards with this game. Brave Zenith is a game about fantasy odd-jobs, rather than epic quests - your characters are cleaning up houses, hunting ghosts, stealing from the rich, etc. The people and creatures of the world are unique and enchanting, from the friendly Jelly shopkeeper to the slippery butter construct, to little porcini goblins. 
Characters have 3 stats, gain abilities based off of their occupations. There are three suggested origins to help you determine what your character looks like, but you’re also welcome to create your own! There are typical hallmarks of dungeon delving here, such as loot tables, monsters to fight, and spells to cast. For the GMs, there’s a chapter full of advice on how to prepare for a session, quick NPC generation, and tables to help you write an adventure on the fly. Finally, the rulebook itself is bright, colourful, and fun - perfect for communicating the kinds of games it’s designed to run!
Lutong Banwa by Sinta Posadas (Diwata ng Manila).
We, the Tamawo, we have no concept of hunger, food, or of a nuclear family. We wandered aimlessly for a long time. Then, we met a Giant Grab. She took us in like her own children. Clothed and sheltered us like we were her kind. We call her Mama Kasag. She showed us more about the people that came before us. The ones she calls “Humans”. 
Lutong Banwa is a cooking game, where you set out to adventure and find ingredients from Spirits and recipes from old civilizations. Embark on this anti-canon storygame adventure with its own custom system and play to find out just what sort of zany adventures you can get up to in this weird, wild world. Do whatever you want.
Sin is a Filipino game designer who loves designing games that incorporate magic realism. Lutong Banwa is no different. You play Tamawo, who have bodies that appear similar to humans, but live in an age in which humans are long gone. Humans are strange beings of a past age, with unfamiliar customs, such as cooking. You’ve picked up cooking as something to explore, and thus go out on errands to find new ingredients for Mama Kasag. This game is charming and small, quick to learn and easy to play. It even includes recipes to get you in the cooking mood! If you like cozy games with low stakes and a charming setting, you should absolutely check out this game.
A Thousand Thousand Islands.
This is not a game, but rather, a collection of system-agnostic zines for use in fantasy tabletop games. This collection is designed by a trio of Malaysian designers, and contains places such as Mr-Kr-Gr, a river kingdom ruled by crocodiles, Korvu, a maritime nation of tenant mercenaries, and Ngelalangka, a market inspired by Southeast Asian bazaars. If you have a game system that you’re already comfortable with and you want to explore fantastical places within that system, I heavily encourage you to check out these zines.
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vulture115 · 5 months
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Engineer!Jaune (Based on my ask to @howlingday) Ruby: YOU WHAT?!
Jaune: Yeah, just like my Uncle Dell Conagher-Arc said: “Hey look, buddy. I'm an engineer — that means I solve problems. Not problems like 'What is beauty?' because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems.”
Ruby: BUT YOU DELIBERATELY CUT YOUR OWN ARM!!!
Jaune: Yeah? So did my uncle
Ruby: JAUNE!!!
Jaune: What?! It’s the only way to make sure Nora or you fires my Plasma guns!!!
Ruby: But you didn’t need to cut your own arm!!!
Yang: I heard screaming, what’s wrong?
Ruby: JAUNE CUT HIS OWN ARM!!!
Yang: WTF JAUNE?! I KNOW YOU’RE CRAZY AFTER ALL OF THIS 3 YEARS, BUT THIS IS TOO FAR!!!
Blake: Yang, honey, please don’t scream *Sees Jaune’s arm* What happened to your arm
Ruby: HE CUT HIS OWN ARM OFF!!!
Blake: WHAT?! PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE JOKING
Ruby: I’M NOT!!!
Weiss: WOULD ALL OF YOU PLEASE SHUT UP?! PLEASE STOP SCREAMING!!! *Spots Jaune’s arm* What happened to your arm?
Blake: He cut it himself
Weiss: YOU WHAT?! THAT IS PREPOSTEROUS!!!
Jaune: I did.
Weiss: ….
*Knocks on the door*
Jaune: Who is it? *Opens the door and sees Uncle Dell*
Ruby: Who is it Jaune?
Jaune: *Excited* It’s my uncle! Uncle Dell? What’s up!!!
Uncle Dell: Hey kid, heard you cut your own arm. Is it true?
Jaune:*In a slight Texan accent* I did
Uncle Dell: As i expected from a 10Y/O kid who obtained 11 PhDs
RWBY: He’s what?!
Uncle Dell: Yup, he sure did. *Speaks back to Jaune* Hey kid, who’s these fine ladies? Is one of them is your girlfriend?
Jaune: *Still in the same accent* No uncle, all of them are girlfriends and girlfriends. And one of them is in a polyamorous relationship. *Points to Ruby* That’s Ruby *Points to Weiss* Her girlfriend Weiss *Points to Blake and Yang* The emo one (Blake: HEY!) is Blake and the Yellow one is Yang. They’re the one whose on a polyamorous relationship.
Uncle Dell: With who?
Pyrrha: *In the door* Blake! Yang! Can you help me with my groceries please? *Sees Jaune* Jaune!!! *Proceed to run at full speed to hug Jaune*
Jaune: Whoa! *falls into his own back
Pyrrha: We’ve missed you so much!!!*Felt something metallic*… What happened to your arm Jaune?
Yang: *Helping Pyrrha with the groceries* He cut his own arm
Pyrrha: HE’S WHAT?!
Yang: That’s not even the most shocking part, he also got 11 PhDs.
Pyrrha: *Staring at Jaune and Dell talking to each other and seeing him gives an Australium to Jaune*…. No wonder he’s always the top in every class except combat.
*After helping the girls with the groceries, maybe around 5-10 minutes*
Jaune: Welp, We’ll talk later Uncle Dell, we’re going to have a cookout and those groceries won’t lift by themselves.
Uncle Dell: Yeah, we’ll talk later about the sentry improvements. Got a call from work. Y’know, the usual RED and BLU stuff.
Jaune: No problem uncle, how about we meet at our usual bar?
Uncle Dell: Sure thing bud, say the time and date and i’m on my way. With the rest of the crew ofcourse.
Jaune: Heavy still pissed at me for beating him in an arm wrestling huh?
Uncle Dell: I mean, you’d rarely sees a 15 Y/O kid beating a 6’5 400 Pounds man with Aura in arm wrestling contests. *Chuckle* Well i gotta go *Gets in his 1966 Chevy Pickup*
Jaune: Sure Uncle Dell. Be sure to not be dead
Uncle Dell: The machine’ll revive me kiddo *Dabs Jaune perfectly* Bye kid. *Drives off*
Jaune: *Chuckles* Bye uncle Dell! *Waves his metallic arm*
The girls: *Speaking together in a dark tone* You got some explaining to do. Jaune~.
Jaune: Oh… shit….
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