Fanfiction

What if Rudeus Reunited With Sylphie Sooner?

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Early Arrival-A Mushoku Tensei Fanfic

If you read this blog over the over the past two years, you’ll notice that we’re fans of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. It was one of the stories that led to the Isekai genre’s explosion in popularity. It’s about imperfect and flawed characters who are trying to better themselves. And it’s filled with plenty of rich lore and world-building. However, there are two things about the story that I take issue with. The first is with the way that Eris left the main character, Rudeus, and broke his heart in the process. Secondly, the trauma she unintentionally inflicted on him was so bad that he was left depressed and impotent for the next three years. Whatever faults Rudeus Greyrat may have (and he’s well aware of them), he didn’t deserve what he went through!

So, what if Rudeus didn’t have to spend three years in his own mental hell? What if he managed to get the help he needed earlier than in the canon? How would this affect the story’s pacing and the decisions its characters make? That is the main premise behind this interesting fanfic, Early Arrival. AKA, what happens if Rudy reunites with Sylphie sooner than planned?

Name: Early Arrival

Type of Fanfic: AU

Written By: GameGladiator46

Started: April 2024

Status: Ongoing

What if Rudeus Reunited With Sylphie Sooner?

Like many canon-divergent AUs, Early Arrival is an example of either the Butterfly or Snowball effects in action. Starting right after Rudy discovered he was impotent, the story sees him make a different decision. Instead of events leading him to burn his bridges with Sara and leave with Soldat, here he impulsively decides to leave town altogether. That puts him on the road to Sharia right as Ariel’s party is making their own way there, leading him to save them from assassins and for the Princess to ask him to join them to their mutual destination.

Because of that one decision, events that take place in Rudeus’ life begin to take place years ahead of the canon. As a result, the relationships he establishes with key people at Ranoa University have extra time to develop and mature, allowing him to become closer to many lifelong acquaintances far sooner. Take Ariel, for example. While he’s grateful for her help in reuniting him with Sylphie, they’re still not that close by the end of the anime’s second season. Here, they become close friends, especially after he gets her interested in going out drinking together. Hilariously, this does become a problem when she sometimes gets too into it.

That’s only one example, though. Those two extra years allow Rudy the chance to form stronger bonds with many of the people he comes to know at Ranoa University. He reunites with Zanoba in time to see Linia and Pursena smash his Roxy Figurine. Unfortunately, seeing it happen makes his reaction more extreme than it was in the canon story. However, it should be noted that he feels incredibly guilty about it afterward, and eventually apologizes and tells Sylphie and Ariel everything. As for a silver lining, Luke being there to help him manage his negative emotions means the two form a genuine bond as family. Luke even helps explain how sorry Rudy is to Sylphie and Ariel, preventing a potential fallout.

Say what you want about Luke Notos Greyrat, but he respects the bro code.

Rudy and Sylphie grow even closer before marrying

The main draw to Early Arrival, though, is how it allows Rudeus and Sylphiette to develop their relationship sooner than in the actual Mushoku Tensei. Like in canon, Rudeus doesn’t realize that Fitz is Sylphie when they first reunite. Unlike in canon, though, it doesn’t take Rudy a whole year to figure out who she is. Instead, it happens near the end of their trip to Sharia. However, once he knows who she is, the two quickly capitalize on their feelings and become a happy couple. It doesn’t cure Rudeus of his ED right away, but he doesn’t keep it a secret from her.

In hindsight, one drawback to Rudy and Sylphie marrying almost as soon as they become a couple is that we never get to see them date. They had already spent a year growing closer, but having to maintain her Fitz guise meant Sylphie could never go as far as she wanted. With that guise no longer a factor, though, Early Arrival has them spend that first year at Ranoa U enjoying dating each other. And because Rudy is more open about his problems, Sylphie is in a better position to help him work through them.

Perhaps most important, though, is how the story further explores the opinion Sylphie develops of Eris before ever meeting her. While it’s touched upon in the light novels, the anime doesn’t go into as much detail about her thoughts on Eris. Early Arrival, though, fully explores her complicated feelings towards Rudeus’ former traveling companion. On the one hand, she manages to help Rudy figure out why Eris left, something that he has yet to fully do in the anime. Understanding, though, isn’t the same as accepting something, and Sylphie makes it known that she resents Eris for hurting the man they loved so badly.

The bottom line is that the two will have to work out some issues should Eris return (which we know she will). Talking about it further, though, veers into spoiler territory from the light novels.

An Interesting Read for Mushoku Tensei Fans

For those expecting for Early Arrival to be as detailed a story as Mushoku Tensei itself, they might end up being disappointed. At 142,000+ words and counting, it’s a decent read for a fanfic. A dedicated reader could likely binge the entire thing in the span of a day or two. However, it’s not trying to re-tell the entire story from scratch. It’s only trying to cut out what could be considered unnecessary waste of time. Which, truthfully, isn’t the wrong way to look at the two-year gap between Rudy leaving with Soldat and then heading to Ranoa University. Those two years were likely some of the most miserable of his life, and Rudy didn’t deserve to suffer for that long for all his faults.

It should also be noted that it’s only now that the story is beginning to re-align with several of the events of the canon, meaning it’s technically only halfway through the series second season. There’s still plenty of time for it to develop more ideas. And it is making the most out of its premise, which is always appealing. So, if you didn’t want Rudy to suffer as long as he did, then you should find this fanfic pretty cathartic to read.

Click Here to Read it on AO3

A Danmachi Fanfic Where Bellย Doesย Pick up Girls in a Dungeon

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Familia Myth: Journey to Hero Review

If there’s series that we here at the D&A Anime Blog love that isn’t Dragon Ball, it’s DanMachi: Is it Wrong to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon. It’s not hard to understand why. The characters are fun, the setting is good, and it one of the most popular anime waifu’s of the 2010s and 2020s, Hestia. With her cute looks, signature ribbon, and sweet nature, millions of people agree that Hestia is bestia. Unfortunately for shippers, her love for Bell seems doomed to be completely one-sided since Bell only has eyes for Ais Wallenstein. In fact, Bell has managed to win the affections of multiple girls, yet remains completely oblivious to this, no matter how blatantly obvious they are. At some point, it can become very grating!

What if there was a version of the story where Bell wasn’t that oblivious? More importantly, what if that story had Bell start off as more competent? As a result, he not only gets acknowledged much earlier, but things actually happen with the many possible ships in harbor Cranel. This is Familia Myth: Journey to Hero. AKA what happens when Bell actually lives up to the name of his series.

Warning: the following series will contain explicit content only suitable for mature audiences.

Name: Familia Myth: Journey to Hero

Type of Fanfic: AU

Written By: Kairomaru

Started: Dec 2021

Status: Ongoing

What if Bell Was More Competent from the Start

The basic premise to this AU fanfic is that Bell doesnโ€™t set out for Orario until heโ€™s 18 rather than 14. It might not seem like much, but most people will tell you that those four years can make all the difference in oneโ€™s capabilities. Bell takes being an adventurer more seriously since heโ€™s older and wiser than in the canon. He actively takes notes and jots down all the advice that his advisor, Eina, gives him. This leaves him much more prepared to deal with the perils of the Dungeon, allowing him to establish himself as the ideal rookie adventurer.

Bell is also noticeably more confident in this story. For example, that one scene where Bete from the Loki Familia badmouths him at the bar. Instead of running away crying, he decides to order them a round of drinks but deliberately excludes Bete as punishment. Itโ€™s almost like someone had blessed Bell with bonus stats before he ever set foot in Orarioโ€ฆ*sideways glance*

Itโ€™s not just Bell whoโ€™s a little smarter in this fanfic. While she mostly remains the same, lovable goddess/waifu as ever, Hestia is noticeably smarter with their money. After they get a few windfalls they donโ€™t have in canon, she doesnโ€™t blow it on luxuries, instead choosing to invest in real estate. Not only can the Hestia Familia renovate their old church, but they can also afford to rebuild the surrounding district into shops and homes where they can collect rent. So they start knocking off the heavy debt she accumulated faster than in canon. Other than that, though, Hestia remains the same top-tier waifu whose madly in love with Bell, especially after they start dating.

โ€ฆwait, what?

Shippers, Rejoice!

Despite the series title being โ€œIs it Wrong to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon,โ€ Bell does little of the sort in the series. After being saved by Ais, Bell falls in love with her and makes it his goal to get strong enough to be worthy of dating her. Itโ€™s an admirable goal, but heโ€™s so single-mindedly devoted to it that he ignores the advances of all the other women in his life. Even when best girl Hestia makes it obvious that she wants to date him, heโ€™s either completely obliviousโ€ฆor flat-out in denial of the fact.

Every single man and woman who enjoys the series and wishes they had a partner like Hestia in their lives has to have felt frustrated at least once watching Bell.

For better or worse, Familia Myth does away with that particular aspect of Bellโ€™s character. In this story, not only is he aware of the feelings of the women in his life, but he reciprocates each and every one of them. He already starts dating Hestia before the first chapter is even done, and more girls begin to follow.

And before you ask, yes. The story gets explicit with what Bell and the other girls do. Itโ€™s sprinkled throughout the story, but at one point, we get an entire chapter largely focused on it. Hope youโ€™re happy.

It’s a Good Read if You Like Danmachi

The story itself is a decent length by fanfic standards (though Iโ€™ve read incredibly long stories), but nowhere near as long as the actual series. To put things in perspective, itโ€™s only starting to catch up to the beginning of season two. Given its status as an AU, though, thereโ€™s no telling how long it may end up going, or even if it finishes. Then again, itโ€™s about the journey, not the destination. And given how this story allows for ample opportunities for fans to see Bell get with their chosen waifu, itโ€™s a good journey. With DanMachi in the middle of its fifth season, Iโ€™d reccomend giving this a shot.

Also, this story has a TV Tropes page. The fact that people spent the time to make that is a testament to how good it can be.

Click Here to Read it on Fanfiction.Net

Click Here to Read it on A03

The Luz Clawthorne Saga is a Masterclass in Ambition

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RJ Writing Ink Interviews JP-Ryder and BuckJohnson, Co-Author’s of The Owl House fanfic series, The Luz Clawthorne Saga.

Several months ago, The Owl House, the popular Disney show about a human girl in a demon world trying to become a witch, ended its run after three years. This is in spite of the fact that Disney had pulled the plug and shortened its third season to three specials. Yet the show continues to attract a great deal of popularity and fanworks. Case in point, we have one of the most ambitious fanfictions I’ve seen to date, the Luz Clawthorne Saga.

Co-written by JP-Ryder and BuckJohnson, this AU fanfic takes everything good about The Owl House, amps it up to eleven, removes all the restrictions of Disney, and creates a massive shared universe that rivals the MCU in its scope. Having become acquainted with both the author’s over the years, I was lucky enough to get them to sit down and do an interview with me for the D&A Anime Blog. It may not be anime, but after reading this, I hope you won’t pass up on the Luz Clawthorne Saga.

Interview

Let’s start this interview. I’m doing this on behalf of the D&A Anime Blog. They write reviews about anime, anime news, and conventions, but they also have interest in fanfictions. And you two happen to have made one of the most interesting and ambitious fanfics I’ve seen to date. Granted, I’ve only been reading them for about four years now, but I know talent when I see it.

Which brings me to my first question: JP, Buck, I got to ask, what made you guys get into fanfiction? This is a bit of a question for the readers and myself…because Buck’s profile on Fanfic doesn’t explain squat.

BuckJohnson: Well, do you mean reading fanfiction or writing fanfiction? Because I don’t think it was really just “one thing” that got me into both. I’m a writer and a reader. I have been for years. Though a few things did attract me to fanfiction.net the site. A few writers that I used to follow, but also I was really into Total Drama fanfiction back in the day. And I think that and Star Wars fanfiction was what got me into fanfiction and was what got me started thinking about writing fanfiction.

JP-Ryder: As for me, I would say around the time about my teen years, I did think of writing fanfics. It would be about like, Teen Titans and Legion of Superheroes at the time, but so on it didn’t go through. It wasn’t up until college when I decided to get into the fanfic game, writing Teen Titans fics with a previous co-author, along with some anime fics like Naruto and Bleach, and Kim Possible. But I consider them old shame, have them deleted and took a break from fanfics for a while, and just read fics from time to time. Problem was that I never get the basics of a story structure, but over the years I’ve learned how to build up an actual story. Been through a few collabs, some of the darker and edgier parts but I grew out of the early Peter Jackson/Troma phase.

Well, I’d say your experiences have paid off. The Luz Clawthorne Fanfic is amazing.

Okay, this one’s for Buck. You started out as just another reader of the Luz Clawthorne series. How did you go from that to co-author by the time of the sequel?

BuckJohnson: Well, I was the co-author during most of Book One as well. We already went into this during the Q&A. Even during the early chapters, I was a beta reader and someone JP could bounce ideas off of. I offered to edit chapter ten as a way to help with the past tense and present tense. I was always involved with the project, I just became more involved over time, especially when I suggested some of my own characters like Vanz Ator and Puck Goodfellow.

So it happened organically then?

BuckJohnson: Pretty much. We’ve been talking for years, but this is our first real collaboration.

Nice. This one’s for both of you. So, The Owl House. Great Disney series, it ended a few months ago, lots of fans still not exactly over it. JP, Buck, when did you start getting into the show? Were you one of the people watching from day one?

BuckJohnson: I was interested from its announcement.

JP-Ryder: Same for me. Watched it from the start it premiered.

Following up on that last question, guys, why The Owl House? What inspired you to write a fanfic that started out as one for The Owl House?

BuckJohnson: Well, it was JP’s idea. I give him one hundred percent of the credit there.

JP-Ryder: By the time the first season was over, I did get into reading some Owl House fics. Some even have Luz and Eda having a mother/daughter-like relationship. So I want to take in that idea as my own spin. That being if Eda adopted an orphaned Luz. I asked another friend of mine, ultimate-drax, who I’ve also talked over the years, in how would Luz be like if Eda raised her, and he suggests that Luz would be like a bad girl delinquent. And taking a page from the common rebel characters like Josuke, Hit-Girl, and Spinelli from Recess, I reshaped Luz from the sweetheart sally to the badass betty.

And you did a darn good job at it, too. I’ve also thought that Luz saw Eda as a surrogate mom. This just made it official. For that matter, why don’t you tell the readers what exactly is the Luz Clawthorne Series for those who haven’t read it?

BuckJohnson: Luz Clawthorne is an AU fic that takes The Owl House and asks the question what Luz would have been like if she had been raised by Eda in the Boiling Isles after she was orphaned by a tragic accident. Because she has lived in the Isles her whole life, Luz’s personality and relationships with other characters are very different from what we’re used to. Though along the way, LC differentiates itself from canon in many other ways.

At this point, I’d say its less an Owl House fanfic and more like a massive shared universe. You even have a spin-off.

JP-Ryder: Yeah, it’s pretty much a shared universe. Like do you know how many Guses are there in Disney?

Nope. This is a bit of a spoiler alert, but eventually, the story went from just being about The Owl House and became a massive shared universe with…okay, how many Disney animated properties have you guys included so far? No, I’m seriously asking. And that’s not counting the ones outside of Disney.

Buck Johnson: We haven’t counted. We never kept count, actually.

That’s awesome, though. You’re making Kingdom Hearts look like a chump Well, what other, non-Disney shows have you been using?

JP-Ryder:Helluva Boss may be the one that’s non-Disney. Oh, and using Sly from the Nickelodeon animated movie The Electric Piper is also used as the Pied Piper, who is also a Fae in the LC version.

BuckJohnson: And there’s Rick and Morty.

So, how did it go from just being about The Owl House to basically combining almost every Disney animated property under the sun? Did you plan it out that way, or did it just happen organically?

BuckJohnson: For the Disney shared universe thing, it started with Reunion Falls. That was my idea. The LC AU reminded me of Reunion Falls, so I suggested that both AUs could share the same timeline. And since Eda was obviously Stan’s ex-wife, a crossover was natural.

You have had cameos and appearances from pretty much all of Disney history. Except for any of Mickey Mouse’s friends (save Donald, possibly). Some of your OC’s even end up being descendants of Disney characters. If anything, it makes your story even more interesting.

BuckJohnson: Honestly, part of the reason we do it is because LC doesn’t have the same limitations as canon. So we can get away with having so many other Disney and even non-Disney characters in addition to having more swearing, more violence, more adult themes, and more queer content.

Back on topic, though. Now, this story started before Season Two aired and is still ongoing. How did events depicted in the show affect the direction your writing took? Especially regarding characters like Belos?

JP-Ryder: Well, once we learned more about the show as it lead on, we learn how to work around it. Like, think outside the canon box.

BuckJohnson: And we actually decided to intentionally show near the end of Book One that this Belos had a very different (and thematically relevant) backstory from the canon version, justifying any future changes to his character as just being the nature of the AU.

Do you guys ever get concerned that you’re making the story too big, though? You keep adding in new plot threads and people.

BuckJohnson: Honestly, not as this point. We’ve gotten so much accomplished in less than three years. This is the biggest project we’ve worked on, but we’ve also made so much progress at a good pace.

You could say its your magnum opus. Which begs the question, where do you guys go after this is over? Will you keep writing fanfics or just go out on a high note? Or better yet, maybe give being professional author’s a try?

BuckJohnson: I’ll probably move onto professional writing. That’s my goal.

JP-Ryder: I may go try on going out on a high note. Like keep focus on my artwork and study for an IT job.

Now, penultimate question: Are you guys satisfied with the way The Owl House ended?

BuckJohnson: Of course. It was a beautiful ending.

JP-Ryder: Yeah, same. It became one of my top favorite shows to watch over and over again.

Dana and her team beat the hand Disney dealt them and went out on a high note. That’s impressive!

Okay, guys. I think I’ve got enough for my interview. Thank you both for your time.

If you guys want to read their work for yourself, then go onto FanFiction.Net or Archive of Our Own and look up Luz Clawthorne. Or just click here.

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