RMH
we're not kids anymore.
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Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
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@rainbow-nijisaki
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Hello everyone! This year has truly been amazing with the release of GoA along with many other great farming sims!
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Daily Mauro (compilation 7)
Companion piece to the previous set - he deserves a good comfort hug.
Some motivational Cuilangs
Whatever you're working on, wherever you are, keep going. You are SO cool.
@pesky-pumpkin
Hope you don't mind the mention, but these little guys were drawn with you in mind - you've been enabling my Mauroposting from the beginning, and it's meant a lot to me! But since there's no easy way to respond to tags here, I haven't been able to properly convey my gratitude. So I hope these Cuilangs suffice! Best of luck on the fic writing - wishing you many inspired writing sessions free of writer's block. Thanks again!
Some motivational Cuilangs
Whatever you're working on, wherever you are, keep going. You are SO cool.
Tablet pen died
Heck me.
Daily Mauro (compilation 6): Going Through It edition
Feat. bonus Subaru!
Is there a marriage candidate in Azuma you would’ve liked to have seen Mauro interact with? If so, who? And what do you think their banter would’ve been like?
C'mon, you can't ask this and not expect me to say all of them - more dialogue for me! Everyone could use more Mauro in their life! (Especially me!)
...Jokes aside, thanks for the fun question! Among the candidates, Mauro's already got banters with Hina, Cuilang, and Subaru (and I gotta say, those Subaru + Mauro banters were the unexpected highlight of my Kaguya run - I didn't know they'd have banters going in and they're so fun together. It was a real treat for me!). I love the dynamic Mauro's got with all three, they're all great choices. Hina for obvious reasons (love their besties dynamic), and Cuilang and (npc) Subaru both because I feel Mauro's (very) persistent friendliness could do them both a world of good (and the interactions are just plain fun besides).
I'm fortunate that considering the limited banter partners each character has, Mauro actually does interact with most of the characters I'd most have liked to see him interact with. But of the candidates he doesn't banter with, one in particular comes to mind...
...and that is the illustrious Kanata!
More rambling on this under the cut! (And per usual, spoilers ahead.)
Daily dose of sunshine - compilation 5!
No theme this time - just Mauro being his adorable self.
Daily dose of sunshine (vol.4)!
Drew the horrible birthday boy
Been too long since my last appreciation post, so I'd just like to say to everyone who's ever left a kind comment, left a fun ask or otherwise just supports this blog - thank you! It really means a lot to me.
I try to reply to comments I get, but sometimes I miss things, and I apologize if I have. I'm not ignoring you, I promise!
I'd also like to give a special shout-out to everyone who's been kind or engaging in the tags - if only this hellsite had a simple way to reply to those! I always feel bad reading those and not being able to convey even a fraction of what it means to me, so if this is you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I'm sure most of you won't see this, but I appreciate you all the same. Thank you very much!
Daily Mini Mallows compilation 3!
What did you think of Mauro's confession? Did it catch you off guard?
SPOILER WARNING: RF GoA Mauro's Confession
Ah...someone finally asked about the confession.
As for my feelings...
...Yeah, I guess you could say it caught me off-guard...though not in the way you're probably thinking.
More of me losing my mind under the cut.
@my-current-obsession Peer reviewing your tags, hopefully you don't mind! (If you do, just give me a shout and I'll take this down!)
Everything you wrote about him taking the consideration not to confess for thinking it won't end well, and therefore not wanting to drag the protag into a situation where they'll be hurt, and the maturity with which he tackles the situation at hand...exactly that. That's pretty much what I was trying to convey, but I think your tags are much more clear and concise about it. He doesn't want to risk the protag falling for him knowing he could leave. But then...they confess, and that changes the entire game.
I also thought this would be a good opportunity to clarify that I'm not not sympathetic to the protag, I get where they're coming from too! It's completely fair for them to want a steady relationship and an answer that isn't so wishy-washy. That's why I have no issue with the event from an outside perspective - if I'd just been watching the story unfold as a drama, it'd be perfectly fine (though I'd probably still feel pretty bad for Mauro. Honestly, I'd feel bad for both of them, but I'd probably lean a bit more in Mauro's favor). It makes for a good drama! So I'm definitely not saying that the event should have been any different, just that for my personal tastes of playing as the protag, it didn't really work for me. While I understand where the protag is coming from and can sympathize, their way of thinking and acting in this event is just...so different from my own. And while that could be chalked up to Subaru/Kaguya having their own personalities I also think those personalities aren't entirely consistent, particularly between romance routes. They're so much more patient and understanding in Cuilang's quests, for example, and I vibed with them a lot more there. (Also, if I seem unsympathetic to the protag it's because I played the game immersively, and I don't cut myself any slack haha. If I'm looking at them as just "Subaru" or "Kaguya" I'm much more sympathetic.)
It's still one of my favorite events because I can appreciate the narrative for what it is and what it says about Mauro as a character. So I hope I didn't come across as bashing it or anything.
Also...I didn't get all your tags up there but you did mention Ryker's event and while I don't really want to write an essay here (probably deserves its own post were I to get into it) my thoughts on that one are very similar - it's a great drama/story on its own and one of my faves in 5, I just didn't vibe with the protag. To put it concisely, I really liked the dating dialogue where the protag says they'll support Ryker's dreams no matter what they are...so the event having them walk back on that with a "but not this" really bothered me. But again, most of my gripes with it are the fault of my immersive playstyle and not so much the content itself.
I'm fine with this, no worries! You and I definitely differ when it comes to the self-insert/immersion aspect, but that's totally cool. As a general rule even in games with deliberately bland (or deliberately centrist? Someone who doesn't seem to have strong feelings about most things so you can lean them however you want) protags that you're clearly meant to at least partially project yourself onto (like Rune Factory games or recent Fire Emblem games) I try pretty hard to look for any nuggets of "actual" characterization. Who is this person that I am playing, how do they differ from me. I view myself more as an angel/devil on their shoulder guiding their choices how I like but not exactly BEING that person. And there are plenty of instances where I like what the narrative or a relationship dynamic is doing so I go for it in the story but I'd never do it IRL. Kai's a great example there, I adore his dynamic with the protagonist. But IRL him being an alcoholic (and just generally a party boy since I'm very much a stay-at-home introvert) is by itself a deal breaker.
So honestly any time when the protagonist DOES have strong emotional reactions to something, like in Mauro's confession, even if it doesn't quite align with my own feelings, I like it because it helps me figure out what kind of character they are. Even though I'd also agree that they're not the most consistent across all romances.
And as I figured we've got opposite takes on Ryker's event. I completely understand feeling like the game had the protag walk back the earlier sentiment of supporting his dream, but personally I think it makes sense in this case seeing as what he wants and is doing puts him in direct conflict with SEED, which outside of your chosen lover is what the protag seems to value most.
It's been a few years since I played it so apologies if my details are off/misremembered. I love the potential drama of it but I was disappointed exactly because it was a great opportunity to give the protag some real characterization and emotions about everything that wasn't capitalized on. Frankly I wanted Ares/Alice to confront Ryker because WHY would he accept their confession in the first place when he should have realized things would end up where they are now. I adore Ryker but he either successfully lies and hides a huge part of himself from you forever, OR he accidentally puts the person he loves in the position of having to choose either their home & job (which they love) at the expense of the man they love OR choose him and sacrifice everything else. And either choice would theoretically breed some real resentment, eventually. And I feel like it was a narrative misstep to not acknowledge and be frustrated at him when ALL of that could have been avoided if he had just... not accepted their confession. Because he was aware of what he's doing and that Alice/Ares is a devoted member of SEED. It doesn't take a genius to realize they were on an inevitable collision course (but of course he's a lovable dummy who's a bit desperate for affection, so he was caught up in the moment and didn't think that far ahead).
The ideal solution (that skimming through his event now on YouTube, I think I made up in my head and clung to long enough I forgot it wasn't real) to me is that final confrontation in Basara's hideout going very different. Instead of Alice/Ares coming to capture Ryker, I wish they had come just to talk. Refuse to play cat & mouse, and instead lay out their feelings and frustrations and give out a different ultimatum and/or compromise. Cleanly end things and say you'll let him go for the crimes he's committed thus far but if you catch him again you'll have to do your job. That's the best way to honor their duty to SEED AND their feelings for him. And then the monster stuff happens on your way out, with the protag upset & distracted so he saves you (was he coming after you because he sensed something was wrong? Because he wanted to stop you? Something else? You decide!) and he still turns himself in. But maybe I just want too much drama from a laid-back feel-good game like this.
That's completely fair; there's no "wrong" way to play an RPG! Whether you decide to play self-insert, or seeing the character as their own thing and trying to adhere to/build on that, or just...making up your own completely original off-the-wall version of the protag, it's all valid. That's the magic of the genre. And with games like Rune Factory I'd expect a pretty even split because the protags are right on that line where they definitely do have their own identities, but are also definitely made with player self-projection in mind. Either interpretation makes just as much sense.
Like personally for me I see PC Kaguya/Subaru and their NPC counterparts as separate entities, even if they're obviously built on the same base - because even if one decides to play them as accurate to their NPC canon as possible, at the end of the day so many of their actions are still dictated by the player, and this is going to be unique across all playthroughs between different people. Played as Kaguya and decided you hated...*rolls dice*...Ikaruga with a burning passion and avoid him like the plague, and talk to him only to torture him with sandwiches? Well, even though there's no canon dialogue to support that, for that one particular Kaguya it may as well be canon. A different Kaguya fell for Ikaruga at first sight and mastered the art of the Protein Bowl to win him over as quickly as possible. And a different, different Kaguya decided to date everyone because she can. Whereas, NPC Kaguya is what she is, she has a solid canon. For me, I love how the player's own little spice puts a unique spin on each "Kaguya" or "Subaru" that gets chosen as PC! It means that even if the base may seem "bland", the individuals are anything but.
But I know most people probably don't take the immersion so seriously, and a lot of people do see the PC and NPC Kaguya/Subaru as the same people, and that's perfectly fair! I completely understand and it's definitely not an incorrect interpretation by any means.
(I'm also completely opposite from you in the sense that while you look for the bits of "actual" characterization and use them as the base to build your visualization of the MC, I'm usually taking those bits and figuring out how to adapt them to fit the frame I'm already bringing in. That's why I consider my playstyle to be semi-immersive and not full-blown self-insert, because I do try to adapt to whatever's canonically there - but I'm adapting that to fit what I already have rather than the other way around. And well...I'm not exactly playing full self-insert anyway, sometimes it's fun to make poor decisions in games, haha.)
I suppose my personal take is that there are as many canons as there are players, and so I'm not one to say one interpretation is more canon than another. So even if my feelings on Ryker's or Mauro's events differ from yours, it doesn't mean I don't agree with your interpretations. It's just that your protags and my protags aren't quite the same people due to the different lenses we play the game through - and that's going to change the context and the way we feel about the event story as a whole. And that's a great thing. How dull it would be if everyone had the exact same takes!
Like for me...It's been awhile since my last run of 5 as well, so I don't want to do a full rundown of the event when my memory's not so sharp. But in my case SEED was the place Ares ended up, he didn't necessarily choose it. And while he did feel strongly about it it was for the people - he wasn't loyal to SEED, but to Livia and Scarlett and the people of Rigbarth. He'd already seen the corruption at the root and chosen to leave it once. He wanted to help people, and to help Livia, and SEED was the best way to do it - so he went back.
But this isn't a general interpretation of Ares, it's specifically the Ares I played as. So I think your interpretation of MC as someone who loved SEED just as much as Ryker is perfectly valid. For me, I'd gone into it already suspecting that Ryker was a rogue or bandit of some sort, and that was his big secret...so when the MC said they'd support his dream, I'd hoped they'd keep their word - especially with the reveal that he was about as noble as rogues can get, regarding his targets. The character I'd last romanced at the time was Yuri Leclerc (since you've mentioned FE, I'm assuming you know), so I'm sure you can imagine how I felt about Basara haha. If anything, I wanted MC to talk it out more instead of just...jumping the gun on having to arrest Ryker, and automatically deeming his crimes as bad. It really bothered me that Ryker pours his heart out with the truth of who he is and what Basara stands for, and MC's reaction is basically "Why are you telling me this? Now I have to arrest you."
Especially considering that in Scarlett's event, MC is suddenly acknowledging that some crimes are good and actually asks Ryker to steal from the Silo for them. Their views on morality are much less black and white there (as is the theme of Scarlett's event story) and it made me wish I'd been playing as that version of Alice/Ares.
I'd wanted Alice/Ares to be someone Ryker could be honest with, but instead they proved that he absolutely had good reason to try to keep the Basara thing a secret.
But again, it's because I cut the MC far less slack than other characters if they're meant to be my proxy.
I actually kind of like how the games as they are allow for that kind of expansion, the simplicity makes it so that all these different interpretations can coexist. I'm sure I've rewritten these stories in my head a few times myself, and while my re-interpretations are vastly different from yours I think yours are just as valid expansions of the canon. You mentioned you like otomes and I can definitely see that! I've played a couple myself but it's like reading romance novels for me, the protags in those are usually too defined for me to see them as anything but their own character. Not a bad thing per se, and I can still enjoy them, but games like RF just hit different - I love immersing myself in the world.
What did you think of Mauro's confession? Did it catch you off guard?
SPOILER WARNING: RF GoA Mauro's Confession
Ah...someone finally asked about the confession.
As for my feelings...
...Yeah, I guess you could say it caught me off-guard...though not in the way you're probably thinking.
More of me losing my mind under the cut.
@my-current-obsession Peer reviewing your tags, hopefully you don't mind! (If you do, just give me a shout and I'll take this down!)
Everything you wrote about him taking the consideration not to confess for thinking it won't end well, and therefore not wanting to drag the protag into a situation where they'll be hurt, and the maturity with which he tackles the situation at hand...exactly that. That's pretty much what I was trying to convey, but I think your tags are much more clear and concise about it. He doesn't want to risk the protag falling for him knowing he could leave. But then...they confess, and that changes the entire game.
I also thought this would be a good opportunity to clarify that I'm not not sympathetic to the protag, I get where they're coming from too! It's completely fair for them to want a steady relationship and an answer that isn't so wishy-washy. That's why I have no issue with the event from an outside perspective - if I'd just been watching the story unfold as a drama, it'd be perfectly fine (though I'd probably still feel pretty bad for Mauro. Honestly, I'd feel bad for both of them, but I'd probably lean a bit more in Mauro's favor). It makes for a good drama! So I'm definitely not saying that the event should have been any different, just that for my personal tastes of playing as the protag, it didn't really work for me. While I understand where the protag is coming from and can sympathize, their way of thinking and acting in this event is just...so different from my own. And while that could be chalked up to Subaru/Kaguya having their own personalities I also think those personalities aren't entirely consistent, particularly between romance routes. They're so much more patient and understanding in Cuilang's quests, for example, and I vibed with them a lot more there. (Also, if I seem unsympathetic to the protag it's because I played the game immersively, and I don't cut myself any slack haha. If I'm looking at them as just "Subaru" or "Kaguya" I'm much more sympathetic.)
It's still one of my favorite events because I can appreciate the narrative for what it is and what it says about Mauro as a character. So I hope I didn't come across as bashing it or anything.
Also...I didn't get all your tags up there but you did mention Ryker's event and while I don't really want to write an essay here (probably deserves its own post were I to get into it) my thoughts on that one are very similar - it's a great drama/story on its own and one of my faves in 5, I just didn't vibe with the protag. To put it concisely, I really liked the dating dialogue where the protag says they'll support Ryker's dreams no matter what they are...so the event having them walk back on that with a "but not this" really bothered me. But again, most of my gripes with it are the fault of my immersive playstyle and not so much the content itself.
What did you think of Mauro's confession? Did it catch you off guard?
SPOILER WARNING: RF GoA Mauro's Confession
Ah...someone finally asked about the confession.
As for my feelings...
...Yeah, I guess you could say it caught me off-guard...though not in the way you're probably thinking.
More of me losing my mind under the cut.
Can I ask what you think about Kai? Kai is an idiot, and he’s messed up in the head. I adore him. I always get some popcorn ready whenever I start a scene where he and Kurama share the same airspace, but I only spat it out when Ikaruga threatened his Johnson.
Kai, my bro! Kai's great, he's a riot and any scene with him is practically guaranteed to be a good time. I know some people didn't like his bond quests, particularly the dates, but I really enjoyed them. I think they did a great job of showcasing the Kai beneath the (figurative) mask and even managed to pleasantly surprise me a few times.
Spoilers for Kai's events under the cut. (Also spoilers for RF5 Ryker because I talk about him too.)
Daily Mauro: batch 2!
