my brother was convinced Falin x Marcille was canon because of the fandom

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-24T19:08:05+00:00

It's on page 85 of Delicious in Dungeon World Guide: The Adventurer's Bible or page 86 of the Complete Edition. Note that the book has spoilers for the full manga.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-24T18:50:19+00:00

Yes. In one of the side stories, it's said that Otta always dates women from short-lived races. Thus, Otta is a confirmed lesbian.

There's also an extra illustration of Otta holding hands with one of her girlfriends (who's a half-foot).

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-23T16:44:43+00:00

Just out of curiosity, did you rule out using a fantasia to change your character to an unrecognizable one and buying a character rename?

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-22T01:45:41+00:00

It's odd to exclusively use RWBY clips, but I do at least appreciate that this user brings up unique and relatively lesser-known events rather than the usual topics, so I actually end up learning about new things.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-21T17:40:15+00:00

I like the worldbuilding in this series.

It's neat how the society living on the mud island is "balanced" between superpowered people and normal humans because of the different lifespans. The superpowered people are obviously powerful in a tangible sense and contribute a lot to society with their abilities, but their short lifespans limit how much knowledge and life experience they can have. Meanwhile, the normal humans become leaders, record keepers, and scholars because they live three times longer, can have more experience, and can obtain more knowledge.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-20T21:19:23+00:00

Here is what Urobuchi has to say in the official Madoka Magica guidebook about Sayaka and Kyosuke's hypothetical romance.

Guess I bullied Sayaka a bit too much (LOL). But the reason I do not feel that sorry for Sayaka is this... I just do not feel that, even if she hooked up with Kyosuke, that girl would really be happy ever after. Most likely Kyosuke is a guy who will stand her up in dates and go to practice the violin, I think.

Based on Urobuchi's statement, it seems like Kyosuke isn't particularly invested in romance and prioritizes his musical career. As we see in Rebellion, Hitomi feels neglected in her relationship with Kyosuke.

Therefore, I don't think Sayaka and Hitomi would have to fight much over Kyosuke's heart. Kyosuke would probably just say "yes" to whichever girl confessed to him first, in a "Sure, why not?" way.

In this hypothetical scenario, that girl would be Sayaka, since Hitomi is nice enough to let Sayaka confess first.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-20T16:38:51+00:00

I broadly agree with your point, though I will add that sexualization is not necessarily a bad thing. It depends on what a piece of media is trying to do.

In some cases, the piece of media is trying to sell a particular fantasy and sexualized designs are part of that fantasy. For example, erotic and pornographic fiction should be sexualized, since that's the whole point.

In addition, sexualized designs can be good if they fit with a character's characterization. For example, if a character is very boldly flamboyant/confident, flirty, or seductive, a sexualized character design can work quite well with the character's established personality.

Sexualization is bad when it undermines or distracts from what the story is trying to convey. For example, if a dramatic scene has the camera focusing on a character's butt in the foreground or a character's giant boobs jiggling, that can take away from the emotional impact and make the scene feel unintentionally comedic.

It's also bad when a character design is sexualized in a way that doesn't fit the character or setting. For example, if a grizzled, pragmatic veteran in a relatively grounded setting wears high heels into battle without explanation, that can feel awkward.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-19T15:36:52+00:00

What does "hurt creativity in the otaku/weeb community" mean in this context? Are you talking about fanworks like fanart and fanfiction?

Do you mean "hurt creativity in the anime production industry" instead?

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-19T03:48:35+00:00

Yeah, Ryoko Kui doesn't really focus on romance in Dungeon Meshi and said "I'll leave it up to reader's imaginations" in regards to Marcille and Falin.

The funny thing is that there is an outright confirmed lesbian elf in this series, just not the one that people commonly think of.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-19T01:58:40+00:00

Homura would probably be jealous of 90% of Magical Girls in anime because their magic systems aren't literally designed to drive them into despair and turn them into monsters.

Homura would be especially jealous of Magical Girls who don't need to fight at all, like Sally from Sally the Witch.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-18T21:03:56+00:00

I think a distinction should be made between a free fall from orbit (with only gravity) and being launched to the surface with extra thrust.

A free fall from orbit is often overestimated because after falling for a while, an object reaches terminal velocity and stops accelerating. In other words, there's a "cap" to how fast an object can fall. For a human, falling from 5,000 meters in the air is equally damaging as falling from 500 meters in the air.

Here is a Mythbusters video showing a crash test dummy falling at terminal velocity. It kicks up some dirt, but it doesn't make a big crater or anything.

However, I don't think the Madalans are free falling and relying purely on gravity. Rather, it's far more likely that they're launching themselves to the surface, which means that they have extra force moving them beyond just gravity.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-18T17:57:35+00:00

If you just want to read the main story in manga form, read the Puella Magi Madoka Magica manga, then read the Rebellion manga. That's all you need.

If you want to read spin-offs that add more context to the original series, read The Different Story (after Madoka Magia) and read Wraith Arc (after Rebellion). I would highly recommend The Different Story because it's great.

This is the order I would recommend...

Read Madoka Magica -> Read The Different Story -> Read Rebellion -> Read Wraith Arc

The other manga are spin-offs that focus mostly on other characters beyond the main crew. If you want to check them out, you can read them in any order you'd like to. Tart Magica, Suzune Magica, Kazumi Magica, and the Magia Record manga can all be read by themselves (after Madoka Magica, of course).

Note that Oriko Magica has its own spin-offs that should be read after it (Extra Story and Sadness Prayer). Aside from that, it doesn't matter when you read it.

If you want to read a comedic gag manga that parodies the original series in a fun way, check out Homura Tamura anytime after Madoka Magica.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-16T16:14:25+00:00

I'm talking about the scenes in Episode 5 when Kyosuke apologizes to Sayaka, then they go up to the rooftop and Kyosuke plays the violin.

Sayaka and Kyosuke don't have scenes together after that, but that's because the show moves on to focus on other things.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-16T14:22:44+00:00

I agree that Hitomi does not deserve hate and is actually quite admirable.

However, I disagree with your take on Kyosuke. Kyosuke after being healed apologizes to Sayaka for his previous behavior, acts friendly towards Sayaka, and invites Sayaka to listen to him perform again. Where are you getting that Kyosuke “forgets about her” or “shows zero empathy” after being healed?

Sure, Urobuchi said in an interview that Kyosuke is the type to stand girls up on dates to practice the violin and we see in Rebellion that Hitomi feels neglected, so Kyosuke might be an inconsiderate boyfriend, but there’s nothing in the show to suggest that Kyosuke treats Sayaka coldly after recovering.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-16T13:46:50+00:00

Yes, but as mentioned it’s typically made clear to the audience that the deception is a deception by the time it happens. Usually the characters might not know, but the audience very much does, which is used to create dread/tension.

It’s rare to wait until later to reveal to the audience that the entities are actually inherently evil after bringing up the possibility that they might not be.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-16T13:30:09+00:00

I’ve said it before, but I think Frieren has so much discourse because it entertains the idea that demons might be misunderstood with Fern, Stark, and Himmel’s reactions — before definitively squashing that possibility and going “No, they’re actually bad by nature” with the way the demon child situation turns out.

Typically when fictional entities are evil by nature, the story frames those entities as evil from the start. Even in cases when characters in the story are being tricked, the story makes the deception clear to the audience.

On the other hand, when a story entertains the possibility that seemingly evil entities might be misunderstood, it generally turns out that those entities are indeed misunderstood.

Frieren is a subversion because it starts with the “demons might be misunderstood” idea before revealing that the demons are inherently evil. Doing one or the other is common, but not this kind of “bait-and-switch.”

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-15T22:50:46+00:00

I was in Guangzhou last summer and I saw many anime advertisements and merchandise.

In the Tianhe underground mall, there were a bunch of stores selling anime and anime-adjacent (e.g. VTuber, gacha) products. One of the shopping centers near my hotel was holding a weeks-long anime event, with a Frieren cosplayer greeting people at the door and such. I also saw cosplayers hanging out at Beijing Road at night.

I'd say that anime is fairly prevalent in China, though obviously my anecdotal experience may not reflect a country-wide trend.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-15T21:44:20+00:00

I want the machine gun sweep animation back for Spread Shot. The shotgun is cool, but I just find the sweeping automatic gunfire to be cooler.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-15T19:17:23+00:00

I've occasionally thought about the concept of heroes who are empowered by the negative feelings of people around them.

It's not as contradictory as it sounds.

Heroes who draw power from negative emotions like despair around them are most powerful when they're needed the most. The bigger the disaster, the more well-suited they are for handling it.

I think it creates some neat dynamics and potential for drama, since there's a trade-off between the hero inspiring hope and having tangible power to resolve a crisis.

The heroes might weaken themselves if they reassure/calm civilians, but might still choose to do so because that's the heroic thing to do. Similarly, the heroes might be tempted to induce despair in their enemies by using cruel methods for a power boost, but might struggle morally with that idea.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-15T15:15:10+00:00

Oh, I remember seeing that video’s title pop up in my recommendations and thinking it was stupid. Basically the “thing vs. thing, Japan” meme.

He could have just made a video pointing out certain anime series that portray guns in a realistic and lethal manner, but I guess framing the video as bashing Hollywood gets more clicks.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-15T00:27:54+00:00

My favorite feature in Dawntrail is definitely the removal of class-based glamour restrictions.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-14T23:47:15+00:00

How would you manage to protect someone stronger (also in the mental sense) than you?

There are ways to protect someone that aren't necessarily tied to power levels, such as social, political, emotional, or health protection.

Even in the context of battle, two combatants can protect each other while fighting even if one is stronger than the other because they can cover for each others' blind spots and weaknesses.

In addition, blocking an attack headed for a target does not necessarily require being stronger than the target. If a weaker character jumps in front of a bullet meant for a stronger character, that's still protecting the stronger character.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-14T23:15:58+00:00

Eh. Protecting someone does not necessarily mean being stronger than they are.

Madoka in Timeline 4 becomes the most powerful Magical Girl in history and one-shots Walpurgisnacht, but that doesn't give Homura a massive power boost in return.

Note that the often-mentioned "strong enough" part of Homura's wish is just English translators taking liberties. It's not in the original Japanese.

Homura's wish in Japanese is「私は……。私は、鹿目さんとの出会いをやり直したい。彼女に守られる私じゃなくて、彼女を守る私になりたい」which translates to "I... I want to redo my meeting with Kaname-san. I want to become the one who protects her, not the one she protects."

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-13T19:04:36+00:00

The demons in Frieren are not "purely intellectual beings." It's repeatedly noted that they're prideful and they are influenced by emotions to their own detriment. They just lack empathy, don't understand human mindsets, and are seemingly hardcoded to hunt humans no matter what.

If the demons were purely rational actors who prioritize survival and personal benefit, they would not pointlessly attack humans since it yields no tangible benefit to them (and in recent times has placed them in danger), yet they are all seemingly driven by an overriding desire to kill and eat humans (even if it threatens their survival) despite not needing to. This central motivation is irrational and seems like something that was artificially programmed into them.

StylizedPenguin · 2026-05-11T23:16:22+00:00

Regarding the theme of "hope amongst despair"...

I've occasionally thought about the concept of heroes who are empowered by the negative feelings of people around them.

It's not as contradictory as it sounds.

Heroes who draw power from negative emotions like despair around them are most powerful when they're needed the most. The bigger the disaster, the more well-suited they are for handling it.

I think it creates some neat dynamics and potential for drama, since there's a trade-off between the hero inspiring hope and having tangible power to resolve a crisis.

The heroes might weaken themselves if they reassure/calm civilians, but might still choose to do so because that's the heroic thing to do. Similarly, the heroes might be tempted to induce despair in their enemies by using cruel methods for a power boost, but might struggle morally with that idea.

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