i'm quinn! i write a lot and i do fanart sometimes
feel free to send asks or requests! it’s probably not hard to tell but i love rambling, so don’t be shy to talk to me :’)
art or writing requests are fine i just can’t promise anything*
and this really shouldn’t need saying but unfortunately some people suck, so bigots, pro AI, and pro ship DNI. ever. thanks <3
AO3
final note, i read every tag and reply and i appreciate them so much, so thank you for every little thing! i’m really happy to be here and i hope life treats you well
header is a llsifas background btw. rip sifas ily forever
well this is awkward. you know sometimes people say things, like “I’m not interested in Kirby right now,” and they don’t mean it. anyways have an updated reference
Shout out to Otome for being the only person to avoid destroying the universe as a Bug. Genuinely incredible that she was not only able to deduce that she's a Bug, but take action to prevent the universe from being destroyed.
From Otome's dialogue during this event, we learn that destroying the universe is not wholly outside of a Bug's control, even though that's what it was like for the player. Instead, it is a creeping sense of wrongness growing into a near-irresistable urge to right this wrong – something that can only be achieved by destroying the universe. Everyone else gives into it, even Gina, who has a similar self-sacrificing event in Allocosia.
But Otome is like 'ok but destroying the universe would destroy my friends too?' And so she doesn't. She successfully resist the urge to destroy and puts herself into cold sleep. Absolute hero. This whale is the strongest person in the universe.
I hope that when she wakes up from cold sleep and finds the sense of wrongness gone she feels proud of herself.
I am kind of mindblown by Gnosia even though I only watched the anime. I really ended up super rooting for Setsu and Yuri.
I'm confused about Kukurushka and (spoiler) but probably need to play the game to find out more.
I saw some online comments that indicated it was unfair that M (spoiler) did not get their just deserts. I also felt a bit sore about this considering the many terrible things this character did...
But if we zoom out, Gnosia is not just a time loops series, underneath its beautiful visuals and heartfelt relationships - it is also really a horror at its core. The survivors are just trying their best to fight against a cosmic horror, its parasitic agents, a cult that worships it, and something else (spoiler). They're not trying to defeat any of these - they're barely just trying to get out of there alive. In most horror shows - especially space horror shows - the sources of horror are rarely, if ever, eradicated / defeated /get their comeuppances (looking at you Xenomorphs).
So I think it's very hard to expect from Gnosia "justice" in the traditional shounen sense - and it instead leaves things pretty open for people. For example, Remnan (a character who truly deserved some justice) becomes a revolutionary offscreen in a loop where he survives - there's still some planetary wars/political oppression occurring in the backdrop, and we don't even ever get to see this.
So actually, I'm quite amazed that Gnosia tells a story of people dropped into a backdrop of terrible, terrible circumstances - yet are just trying to survive, while these terrible circumstances pretty much are not meant for them to resolve. It's a deft and subtle way of storytelling, and the point is not for justice - the point is survival and ultimately, retaining any hard earned connections and small winning scraps they can find in a pretty cruel, callous, and thoughtless world after them in every timeline.
That said, this comes from purely an anime viewer's perspective - I look forward to learn more playing the game!!
Great points! I wanted to add some of my own thoughts on M's fate (major anime spoilers below the cut)
I believe it's important to Gnosia's themes that Manan does gain immortality. The reason for this is that immortality is treated as a curse, related to a loss of one's own identity. To obtain eternal life, Manan must give up her body and put her mind at risk by transferring it into a doll. As another example of this connection, in the game, Setsu fears how they are changing as a result of their time spent looping. They are becoming desensitized to death and slowly getting more willing to sacrifice other people when necessary. It's because of this that the primary objective for most of the series is to find a way for both Setsu and Yuri to escape their loops. They only can by learning about and forming connections with the rest of the crew.
One interesting fact about Manan is that her name likely comes from Hinduism. In Hinduism, Manan is a state of reflection that's part of the path to reach nirvana, escape from the cycle of life and rebirth. Gnosticism has a somewhat related concept: In Gnosticism, obtaining gnosis (knowledge) is necessary to escape the physical world. This is quite similar to how the Silver Key's host must feed it with knowledge to escape from the loops.
By willingly entering the loops, Manan is moving backwards, subjecting herself to an eternity where she will suffer infinite deaths, and possibly lose herself entirely. Is this justice? Maybe not, but it is fitting.
For Shiki's Birthday, her secret deep talk with Mei
Liella!'s secret deep talk ♡
The final pairing is these two! They're together all the time, but is there anything they'd like to say to each other all over again…!?
Question 1: What do you like about each other?
Mei: "W-What the heck kind of question is that? It's not like I can just answer something like suddenly…"
Shiki: "I can. I like everything about Mei."
Mei: "You answered way too fast! And that's way too vague! What do you mean, everything...!?"
Shiki: "Everything means everything. I even like the way your face turns red and you panic like this. I like your beautiful kitten-like eyes. And I like how you're incredibly hardworking, but you're too shy to let anyone see how hard you work."
Mei: "S...S-S-S-S-Stop...!?"
Shiki: "But what I like most is how, when you're with me, you're just yourself, completely natural."
Mei: "Natural?"
Shiki: "For the longest time, there was never anyone around me. And even when there was, for some reason they'd either be scared of me or constantly walk on eggshells around me. No one was ever themselves with me. But Mei is different. Even when she's with me, she smiles while fiddling with her phone, eats snacks, and gets crumbs everywhere."
Mei: "H-Hey, what're you exposing me for!?"
Shiki: "Fufu. And then you share those snacks you're eating with me too. It's so casual. So ordinary. I love spending time with Mei like that."
Mei: "You're just as natural as I am, aren't you? When you're with me, you're either completely absorbed in some complicated book, messing around with some weird experiment, or staring at bugs with your eyes sparkling. It's just… pure Wakana Shiki."
Shiki: "Yes. I'm aware."
Mei: "W-Well… I'm the same… People are always scared of me too. So the way you're still so relaxed and free around me… I appreciate that, or something… I guess I could say that's one of the things I l, L-L-Like about you..."
Shiki: "! I'm happy…"
Mei: "H-Hey, why're your eyes getting all watery!? Don't tell me you're losing your cool now!?"
Shiki: "Heart rate, body temperature, rising."
Mei: "Hey, wait, wait!"
Shiki: "It's Mei's fault..."
Question 2: Is there anything you'd like to say to each other again now?
Shiki: "Something I want to say…"
Mei: "Now? All over again?"
Mei & Shiki: "......"
Mei: "Oi. Staring at me isn't gonna get the message across. Say something."
Shiki: "Mei too. You could say something."
Mei: "I mean… even if you ask what I want to say all over again, nothing really comes to mind. Whenever I've got something to say, I just say it right then and there."
Shiki: "Agreed."
Mei: "Oh. But I bet there's one thing you've been wanting to say to me, right?"
Shiki: "Hm? What's that?"
Mei: " 'Let's hurry to the school idol club room and practice together'. Am I wrong?"
Shiki: "Fufu. As expected of you, Mei."
Mei: "Well, I was thinking the exact same thing. So, c'mon, let's go practice!"
