#(i am def down to see a better quality version)

[mournmourn]

The thing is, tumblr has butchered the quality of the image. You were lucky this time... You would've died on the spot if it would've been in high resolution

Oh im absolutely sure the amount of slay and absurdity wouldve made me lose the last grips of sanity jere hasnt still robbed. Lucky me..

Btw the amount of effort you always put into ur edits is so amazing haha its like seeing a new cursed image fresh (affectionate)

[theda-rison]

Sisterhood of Researching Some Fucking Pants

So, I fell down a rabbithole of sorts last night.

See, I saw these pants in a BLACKPINK music video-- I’m not even sure how I ended up watching the video or having it recommended to me in the fucking first place. The Youtube algorithm is a fucking mystery. Like, I’ll be watching tons of videos of East Asian street food, and suddenly it recommends me a video of how to make a map with a software I’ve never heard of before. I don’t understand it. It’s bewildering.

ANYWAY,

The music video was 뚜두뚜두 (DDU-DU DDU-DU), and the pants were these:

Now, if you’re thinking, “That picture is a piece of shit, I can’t even see what’s on them,” you’d be thinking a correct thought. I presume the person took a picture of their computer screen with their phone like a newb. But I will come back to the person who posted it to reddit in a second.

First here’s a better picture:

Okay, cool, so we can actually kind of see them now. 

I… Iwant these pants. They look huge and comfy and so cool. So I search the pants. I keep searching for the pants. I type “BLACKPICK DDU-DU DDU-DU clothes,” nothing. “BLACKPICK DDU-DU DDU-DU pants,” nothing. “Lisa DDU-DU DDU-DU pants,” and… ehhhhh. I found two people looking for them. Only two. The person who posted the first picture of horrendous quality, and this one:

Why did you also pick the worst picture, Octave? I am going to scream.

So like, Octave and the redditor who posted the other bad picture weren’t of any help. But I’m about to help them out (...years later) because I’ve figured out most of the pants. And you’ll see why I say “most” as you read.

Okay, so, I still want the pants so what do I do next? I do the thing I always do and start googling aspects of the pants like mad. Part of this was extremely easy becauseeeee…

That is a Def Leppard album cover.

Specifically Hysteria.

And then I realized something as I - lying in bed between 9-11pm looking for these fucking pants - watching this video over and over in slow-mo with my face *way* too close to the screen as I tried to read the words on the pants (not for the Def Leppard side, that I realized instantly), they aren’t PANTS: they’re SHORTS.

See how the edge with the screen printed stripes (which I originally thought were piping) is coming away from the lower portion of the pants? Those are shorts.

Def Leppard shorts.

Def. Leppard. Shorts.

So those are the exact shorts, right? We’re done. Everyone go home. Order ‘em off Amazon. They’ll get here on Prime Day.

NO. Because while her right leg (from her perspective) was the black and white version of the Hysteria album cover, her left leg of her pants is NOT the color version, as we see in the shorts I found.

But before I tell you about the left side, let me tell you the lower leg portion of the pants, because that was also easy to figure out because I actually listen to the band:

That is Pink Floyd.

Fucking iconic.

And they’re from the same site as the Def Leppard shorts. (They also come as shorts like the Def Leppard ones, with the white bands at the bottom.)

BUT, Lisa’s pants move like pants as she dances:

This post is the shit you do when you can see the Time Knife.

You can see by the puckering under the Def Leppard cover art, that the pants were probably sewn together above the white bands. And, since the Pink Floyd art is only in the top part of the sweatpants and can *only* be over the thighs on the shorts, I’m pretty confident in my estimation that these “pants” are actually three different pairs of shorts (or two shorts and a pair of sweatpants) that someone in the costume department bought, cut apart, and sewed them together to make some cool pants. 

They also ruined my life for a few hours by doing this, because I am nothing if not tenacious and I need those pants (or similar) in my life.

Okay, so we know where the upper right leg comes from, and the lower left and right legs. But:

I apologize for cropping you so much, Lisa.

What the fuck is that?

I stared at Lisa’s left leg as she danced in slow-mo (again, I’m sorry, I just want these fucking pants) for I don’t know how many minutes. I could see the words on either side of this pink dog looking thing said “sin land,” and “sin land,” “sin land band,” and “sin land album cover” didn’t get me anywhere. Finally I realize that the word over the dog’s head (which I thought could have been the band name) said “welcome.”

You can kind of make it out here, it’s easier to see when the video is moving.

So, I type “welcome to sin land” into google and and it asks me if I mean “welcome to Finland” so I go to the image results and see this:

That’s definitely the dog, but that’s not a pair of shorts.

That’s a comic by the artist David Sandlin.

His art gives me strong “the Ratfinks, Suicide Tanks And Cannibal Girls scene from Beavis and Butthead Do America” vibes but like, weirder? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5pR5ktDwts

He also seems to not like Trump, so good on him.

But the thing is, I *can’t* for the life of me find a pair of shorts with that dog character on them. I looked through 14 pages of shorts on the site I found the Def Leppard and Pink Floyd ones on, and while I learned of a few bands I never heard before, I didn’t see the dog shorts. 

I also searched “David Sandlin shorts,” and “David Sandlin clothes” and got garbage, so I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I don’t think he has any merch with his art or characters on it. That’s actually a shame because I am now a fan of his art and would like to show others that by wearing it on my body. 

As non-corporeal as it sometimes is.

Give. Me. The. Merch.

I’m sorry, Lisa. I’m almost done with the post, I promise.

So my guess is that maybe the company that makes the shorts (NOT the site I found selling the Def Leppard shorts since I found the Def Leppard shorts ones on other sites as well) did the thing we always see Urban Outfitters do: they either stole art from David Sandlin or stole art from someone who stole it from David Sandlin. I do find it weird that the design on the shorts seems to be the pink dog with “Welcome to Sinland” - which is the name of the comic he’s from, but I guess maybe someone saw the comic cover and went “okay” and turned it into art for the shorts. And it might be that that person is from another country, in which case copyright might not even apply to the situation, and that could also be why I can’t find it, since all my google results are in English.

Anyway, that’s all conjecture. I have no idea, all l know is: I can’t find the pink dog dude on any clothes. Specifically, I can’t find him on any black shorts with white bands.

Octave did ask this question 3 years ago, so maybe the art was stolen back then or before then and that’s why the shorts don’t seem to exist anywhere now.

David Sandlin does have a Shop link on his website and it has shirts but the link redirects back to the Home page. And also… I’m going to send him an email about it because I do want a shirt now because his art is cool, lol.

Anyway, I tried, Octave (and no-name redditor who got no responses to their question), I really did. You needed me and I failed you.

At least… you/we/I (if you see this) can buy shorts from the website the Def Leppard shorts are from (https://roxxbkk.com/product/defleppard-405/ specifically) and make them ourselves. They’re not super expensive.

Currently looking for a sweatpants pattern to make them, lol.

I’m thinking maybe… Dio and Behemoth for the top part and maybe Rob Zombie and Pink Floyd for the lower ones. Or maybe Dio/Dimmu Borgir and Rob Zombie/Behemoth? I haven’t figured out yet. I can see why the creator went with Def Leppard, the Hysteria album is visually interesting even in black and white but… I don’t listen to them. And I don’t know if Pink Floyd really makes sense with Dimmu or Behemoth lol.

I will post a pic of the pants if I do make them, though.

[needyoulikeaheartbeet]

FOLKLORE FIRST THOUGHTS

ft. very little editing LONG SONGS! LONG SONGS! AESTHETIC TITLE! 63 MINUTES!

1. the 1

PIANO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! omg her voice is so soft if you wanted me you really shouldve showed IF YOU NEVER BLEED YOURE NEVER GONNA GROW OMG ALREADY A BANGER LINE OMG HOW SHE SINGS THE BRIDGE YESSSSSS THATS CATCHYYY

2. cardigan*

DEEP VOICE SULTRY OOOOOOOOOO the piano reminds me of jazz the IIIII hand under my sweatshirt baby kiss it better omg this is sexi ? OMGGGGGGGGGGGG wow the chorus and when I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone’s bed you put me on and said i was your favourite WOW playing hide and seek part omg her voice the IIIII part is sooooooooo nice omg this is hot but sad but like NICE THE STRINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JADORE TELLEMENT you drew stars around my scars but now im bleeding THE STRINGS THE CHORUS THIS IS SO GOOOOOOOD IM CRYING PETER LOSING WENDY this is tugging on my heart strings... that bridge... wow... im literally crying tears rolled down my cheeks wow that was so beautiful im still crying LOL

3. the last great american dynasty

oo that twang-y in the distance im still crying from cardigan sorry all her what friends? was that bleeped? LOL [The clean version of the album on Spotify was available for me before the explicit version] omg how she sangboys you can HEAR her smiling i love it so much my precious bean THESE STORYTELLING LYRICS I NEED TO RELISTEN TO IT ALL STARLIGHT VIBES? omg i had a marvelous tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime <3

4. exile (FEAT BON IVER!!!! OMG?!!!)*

i love how much piano there is in this taylor i love it thank u WHAT A RICH VOICE youre not my homeland anymore?? so what am i defending nwo? im baby STRINGS!!!! <3 this reminds me of the last time kinda duet i cri balancing on breaking bridges im not your problem anymore so who am i offending omg wow her voice is so pretty i gave so many <3

5. my tears ricochet

omg the intro is nice is that her voice? or keyboard voices i didnt have it in myself to go with grace that electronic voice during chorus reminded me of getaway car... i c u jack + the beat... in the bridge wait wake? I NEED LYRICS TO FOLLOW ALONG SKFSKDFNS TOO DISTRACTED AND CONSUMED BY THE MUSIC [I was indeed distracted and not following the lyrics so I thought the wake was connected to one of the previous songs gskng I was like who died omg dummy]

6. mirrorball

ooo this sounds pretty from the start this sounds like a gem i find on youtube at 2 am when no one is around my dear! oooo i like AW SHINING JUST FOR YOU! IN HER HIGHEST HEELS, LOVE? That's so cute i can change eerything about me to try to fit in is SO relatable her vocals r so pretti aw this song makes me smile, the bridge was v cute [Little did I know when I’d relisten and read the lyrics that this song is not one to make you smile ma’am]

7. seven

this is different! this doesnt even sound like her omg but its so nice omg the verse hehe cute THE STRINGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS YES big fan aw is this from kids pov? pirates poor lil bb sweet tea in the summer, cross my heart wont tell no other

this is different but beautiful

8. august

oooo yes another youtube sounding gem with the quality of the music and her voice oh wow how she sang more OMG YES louder THIS IS NICE twisting in bed sheets aw cause u were never mine oh wow after second chorus the MUSIC YES THIS IS SO NICE IM SO HAPPY AND CONSUMED one ting? huh? cancel plans in case you call... omg

MEET ME BEHIND THE MALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you werent mine to lose aw... this song i like a lot

omg the story telling im crying i missed this so much it reminds me of fearless era this is so wow tat resumed loudly LOL i laff but omg this is like happy but sad at the same time THE STRINGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I CANT THIS MUSIC IS SO NICE I WANT IT TO CONSUME ME AND JUST LISTEN TO IT FOREVER like an instrumental version. just driving. even this version. this was so nice. i missed storytelling like this. i adore

9. this is me trying

i like dis so far yes, another youtube gem ORCHESTRA my words shoot to kill when im mad i have a lo of regrets about that sphere omg at least im trying!!! wow ma'am that was so pretty ???? the build up to the bridge wow jack?

10. illicit affairs*

beautiful guitar, wow omg yes those vocals?? lil guys? or is that guitar i like oh wow yeah def an illicit affair huh this is pretty folk dis make me sad but excellent storytelling omg

clandestine meetings ooooo the BRIDGE YES omg !!!! youve shown me colours that you know i cant see with anyone else you taught me a secret language i cant speak with anyone else OWWWWWWW

11. invisible string

this is fun to dance to its so cute bad blood ? *side eye emoji* prechorus is really nice and catchy her voice is so nice ugh i like this bridge <3 is this about joe? chains around my demons one single thread of gold tied me to you!!!! centennial park blues then purple pink skies! lover <3

12. mad woman

nice piano and strings the beat o wow i hate you forever (... is this clean? fuck you forever?) UPDATE IT IS FUCK YOU FOREVER WOO! omg you found something to wrap your noose around w o w, that's so powerful women like hunting witches too; omg wanting me dead has brought you two together wow but when she sang it wow i love watching you climb over people like me wow this is pain :( the vocals in the background are so nice and add to the feeling it makes my tummy sad :(

those back vocals make me think she can still sing safe and sound live one day maybe so tha tmakes me happy though

13. epiphany

the intro feels like an epiphany lemme tell ya i close my eyes thats nice i dont understand whats happening i need lyrics to follow along but it sounds nice strings <3 does this have to do with the wake? the outro is so soothing british accent?

14. betty

country! this is country! COUNTRY! OMG SHES SINGING COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!! TOO!!!!!!! LIKE ACCENT! OMG the classic storytelling... taylors so good at this my god the worst thing that i ever did was what i did to you PARDY music between chorus and bridge UGH YES JAMES! YESSSS THE SOLO BREAKDOWN yes the only thing i wanna do is make it up to you i showed up at your party? aw! (and then you kicked me out LOL) will you have me will you love me will you kiss me on the porch aw shes so talented wtf. man aw standing in your cardigan kissing in my car again stopped at a street light you know i miss you aw [this was the clear trio clue lol]

15. peace

omg that guitar yes sexi rich deep yez thats so nice

that was catchy omg (when she started) OMG IT IS CENSORED...... i talk * with my friends? GIVE US THE UNCENSORED GOODIES CMON!!! oh i just saw the one thats explicit CLOWNS TO THE WEST WEY IT US aw the rains always gonna come when youre standing with me

16. hoax

so simple, vocals and piano wowie omg best laid plan around there the STRINGS are stunning. seriously stunning wow im obsessed this is nice sad feels the guitar added agh yes omg im gonna cry it still hurts beneath my scars when tey pulled me apart im cryin.... that part im cryin!!!!!!!!! THIS WHOLE BIT the background vocals are stunning her voice :( the stirngs :( the piano :( the guitar :( the simplicity :( me saying okay and nodding while crying

Note. The asterisk was me trying to decode which songs were part of the trio, but I kind of lost track and got confused once we hit Betty / I was too distracted by it being country hahaha

[fanotastic]

Right then. Gonna go over some questions n shit.

and counting...

Extremely

I may make a post on how to do this shit but knowing how I do things it’s probably going to be the wrong way to go about it. I went with an extremely long and time consuming process. There are likely wayyy easier methods than whatever the hell I was doing.

I’m actually looking into ways to improve the curtain.

Not really. Curtain 3 really stays in place and will occasionally get a little twisty at the bottom. It’s so much better than version 2 and 1.

Thank you I had to fuckin put my phone down once I saw this.

Not quite at that point yet but this bad boy would def be somewhere in the ballpark of like $200. I have received several questions about comissions so it’s up in the air at this time and as I said earlier I want to improve the quality because I currently am not confident mailing it n shit.

All done purely for something to preoccupy myself with and make a few internet strangers satisfied.

If someone wants to try this bullshit DO NOT make the stupid fuckin mistake I made by buying packs of like 20-70 on Amazon/Ebay. It is extremely overpriced and I wasted a lot on version 1 and 2 of the worm curtain.

It made me laugh regardless, thanks.

Before I continue, I would like to say I am not well off. I wasted stupid fucking money on this which I would’ve been much better off saving but I live to please.

Anyway I spent way too much, I wasn’t planning to do so many worms. 

Version 1 was a joke but it got outta hand from there. Amazon and Ebay are just horrible money sinks for this amount of squirmles. I spent somewhere around 200 USD on those two websites for about 200-300 worms but what I was just getting was a random assortment of colors and if I was short a few colors I had to go back and purchase another set or find someone who would sell them individually and in the same color (i.e. I ran out of light pink at one point, ordered more from Ebay, received hot pink worms that better passes as orange than light pink). 

My roommate saw the shit I was doing and finally suggested buying worms though his company. It was a few days of negotiating but I ended up getting about 2,000 worms in select colors for $400-500 (I can’t remember exactly). The only issue with this was customs but I got everything in about a week upon placing the order.

Basically if you want a under 50 worms, buy from amazon/ebay. If you want to do something like a big project with no reward, buy in bulk but that may require some B2B bullshit.

I love seeing comments like these ones, I’m really glad it brightened your day. As frustrating and time consuming as it was to work on, the end result is well worth it.

I’ve made one for one of my cutouts and I might make one for the worm curtain. Chances are if I did make a tutorial it is going to be the most complicated and tedious method. I sometimes get the occasional comment saying WhY aRe YoU mAkInG iT sO dIfFiCult?

With the power of friendship.

Three blocks of extra sharp cheddar.

I’m camera shy

Please consult your local eye doctor.

Finally the recognition I deserve.

Jokes on u, I don’t have a double door. >:3

I hope you’re disappointed.

I still have several bags of worms, maybe around 1,000? There was some experimenting and causalities with V1 and V2 curtains.

[wintergotham]

guide to improve/build your skincare routine for good results; (+ without ruining your wallet!) @wintergotham on twitter

➡️⚠️ what matters most is the way & order you use your products + what ingredients they contain. you don’t need to buy new products for your skincare to work better. but including new & better things slowly will help tremendously ofc. & price doesn’t mean quality

the first most important things that help without buying new shit:

- hygiene (clean sheets, hands, face, towel ect..)

- being gentle (tapping, rubbing softly upwards motions, ringfinger under eyes)

- the order in which you apply your products (from thinest to thickest + you need to layer products bc one will never help your skin enough to improve)

- exfoliation for better results (explained down below)

↪️ then, you need to figure your skin out:

- what skin-type do you have (oily, dry, combination?) also your skin-type can change through the years or for different reasons like the weather or traveling.

- what are your main issues? (moisture, hyperpigmentation, acne, blackheads, blocked pores, wrinkles, dry patches, rashes etc..)

- do you have health issues + other factors that might affect your skin? (hormones, diet, or just a health problem) -> speak to your doctor about it. hormonal acne won’t be treated by products!

finally, the types of products/ingredients that you should use/include in your skincare:

— include ACTIVE ingredients (some are known as acids): depending on what you need to achieve YOU NEED to have some actives most commonly found in serums but also moisturizers & toners. some of these are:

⏩ hyaluronic acid: helps the skin retain moisture, is anti-aging and just overall plumps the skin and brightens it a a bit -> suitable for ALL skin types

⏩ glycolic acid: is an exfoliant and deep cleansing acid that often comes into toners of different strengths (7-8%). helps with a number of things

⏩ salicylic acid: helps with acne, cleaning the pores, soft exfoliation ect...

⏩ others that are exfoliating but in different ways are lactic & mandelic acids. mandelic is softer and better for sensitive skin.

⏩ vitamin C: brightens the skin are reduces hyperpigmentation & dull skin, also helps you spf work better in the morning.

⏩ retinol/retinoids (vitamin A): is a very strong active that can be irritating if used in a high percentage (2.5%). is one of the only ingredient actually proven to help with wrinkles & acne. so it’s def a must for more mature skins & must be used at night or followed by an spf because it makes the skin sensitive. (i have yet to try this!!!)

those acids and any other actives can be mixed in products for example a lactic + hyaluronic serum or a cream with glycolic & HA.

⚠️ there are many other active ingredients & acids that do other things (like niciamide + zinc that i use for acne & blocked pores or caffeine solution for pigmentation & de puffing.

they all do a lot of different things that i didn’t fully explain here so just look it up & refer to the instructions or ingredients of the products you bought. a good brand & affordable one for actives is the ordinary! they explain what each product does but most brands have more and more actives nowadays! also some of them make the skin sensitive to the sun so always use sunscreen afterward (part below of why sunscreen is important) ⚠️

▶️ acids can also come in stronger forms that will be used as peeling solutions aka stronger exfoliants aka chemical exfoliant whereas physical exfoliant would be something like a scrub ->

🍓 why exfoliation is important

it will take all the dead skin off the top layer of your skin which will:

- reduce dark spots/hyperpigmentation

- reduce textured skin

- keep your pores clean

- & MOST IMPORTANTLY will help your products sink it better & WORK better. so it will help for everything along the way.

acids are the most gentle way to exfoliate but some physical scrubs are also good. sugar & olive oil is a good DIY version! just always keep it gentle & avoid walnuts type scrubs as they are abrasive & create micro-tears into your skin because they’re not perfectly round.

— include vitamins! (based on what you need, mix them, find them in products, use some in the AM or PM ect... )

- vitamin E: hydrating, anti-aging ECT.

- vitamin C: brightening, helps with hyperpigmentation & protection to the sun

- vitamin b5: helps the skin retain moisture

- vitamin A: also known are retinols/retinoids: helps for many things and is proven to work for acne, anti-aging ect (i still havent tried it but i hear it’s quite strong so you have to start slow by diluting it or getting low percentage)

- ECT. many other ones— look it up also EAT your vitamins: in food or supplements depending on what you’re deficient in= see your docor

☀️ SUNSCREEN:

the sun is the most damaging, drying thing. it causes wrikles and makes every skin issue worst or creates it. look it up for further research but any dermatologist always recommends using spf in the AM. your skincare won’t be as effective or even work if you don’t protect your skin ESPECIALLY while using actives. spf can be included in moisturizers, foundations, powders, sprays ect so take advantage of that and still use it when there is no sun/winter time just at a lower SPF! 30-50 is good for summer and 15-30 is good for winter. just look & test & see what works for you. make sure that your SPF is both UVA (aging rays and present all year) & UVB (burning rays and less present in winter) protective.

natural ingredients:

- oils (literally all of them are amazing and they all do different things and some are better for different skintypes): some of my favorites are olive, rosehip, almond, grapeseed, squalane, jojoba, ect.) but it depends on the person & some are better for hair (like coconut)

- essential oils (tea tree)

- butters (shea, almond ect.)

- plant extracts (aloe vera)

- floral waters (rose water, orange blossom)

- ECT (i’m lazy to elaborate rn but these are often in creams and are the absolute best.) you can also DIY your own cream/oil (i always do my oils depending on how my skin is/needs so i switch up the ingredients or increase/decrease)

- glycerin & silicones are good and help for moisture retention

these are all good for you so just look at the ingredients and see if it has some of those.

extra little tips:

the order of skincare should be:

- removing makeup & dirt of the day (oil cleansing or micelar water is best. wipes are bad)

- clean with a soap (there’s bar soaps (my fav is black african and the illumination from aroma-zone aka a french brand but there’s also gel, cream, foaming cleansers ect... )

- perfect time for a clay mask or exfoliant (2-3 times a week)

- toner

- essence/sheet mask

- serum or active/treatments: i either use one or layer a couple or even mix a couple.

- moisturizer (gel-creams first then thicker ones later)

- and finally oils or butters last.

- lipbalm/lipcare n little extra steps

you don’t have to do all these steps or even can do several of the same one (for example use 2 toners & two creams n skip the rest as long as the ingredients and results are these) or you can use only a few ect. but always make sure to clean, moisturize, protect & treat with any of the things on top. don’t change/include all at once and work on making work/understanding the products you already own.

⚠️⚠️ DISCLAIMER: i’m not a professional but learned all of this from professionals. i havent spoken of every single ingredients of product just the « in depth basics » that work so if i didn’t include sometime i’m SORRY but you can still ask me or a professional or look it up.

🥀🌻🍊 THE END. hope it helps. love, nada. x @wintergotham on twitter.

[noccalula-writes]

What are your favorite games and franchises? Top 5?

OH BOY have I got feelings on this subject. 

Please keep in mind - I’m a storyteller and a writer. I fucking /love/ a good story. I DM a DnD game and my biggest weakness is that I don’t often include enough combat because I am so much more interested in telling a story. So for me, there’s got to be an emotional investment for a game to really land. I also hyperfixate like a motherfucker so I often refuse to pick up new things purely because there’s not enough space in my head for them at the time, so I’m slow getting to things as they come out. 

So, I’m first and foremost a survival horror bitch. I cut my teeth on Parasite Eve before I played any others - my mother scrimped and saved and fought her way through Wal-mart back in like 1998 to get me the original Playstation gaming console and Tekken 2 (which was my first PS game, I played it in an arcade near her barber shop as a child - Tomb Raider 2 was my second). The old Playstation discs at that time came with demos for different games, including Metal Gear Solid, which I replayed until I could have done it in my sleep because poverty meant I wasn’t likely to get another game anytime soon. I mention this because the Parasite Eve trailer used to give me nightmares but I was super, super hooked. 

I am a huge Silent Hill fan. Huge. That is a tragedy I could write a whole ‘nother post about, because as excited as I am to finally get my hands on Death Stranding (again, poverty, so it’ll be another minute before we can get a PS4), we’ll never get another SH game again unless some major reconciliation happens with Kojima and Konami, which is unlikely (and also hard to hope for - I’m happy Kojima now has the creative freedom to go as balls to the wall as he wants). 

I am an equally huge Resident Evil fan. I’ve always maintained that my first fandom was The X Files, but my wife pointed out a few nights ago that my RE love started around the same time in the late 90′s, so now it’s a chicken and egg kind of thing. Point being, it’s either The or One Of my longest lasting fandoms/interests. RE and Silent Hill get compared to one another a lot - RE7 did nothing to help that - but they really are apples and oranges to me. Fruit, sure, but two totally different tones and experiences. 

I’ve been a huge Tomb Raider fan for forever - my first high school boyfriend was loaded and bought me Angel of Darkness to come play at his house and while it was def critically panned, I do recall enjoying it - so that’s been fun to get those games remade with updated graphics. I’ve only played the one but the others are def on The List. 

So now that I’ve talked for an hour, my Top 5 fave games ever - 

#1 - Resident Evil 3 I am beyond jazzed for this remake, and a lot of people in the 90′s complained about RE3′s lack of clear cut boss battles, but I don’t know what they’re talking about. The entire fucking game is a boss battle - Jill vs. Raccoon City, and of course, Nemesis, who used to give my mother nightmares and caused me to sleep with a leaf-stabber by my bed for years. Jill is far and away my favorite protagonist in RE; she’s got a resilience of the spirit that somehow isn’t conflated with naivety, which is uncommon in ‘nice’ female protags. She’s savvy but she’s still kind, and she’s committed as fuck to survival - not to mention, as zealotous a Chris and Jill shipper as I am, she and Carlos had hella chemistry and I’m excited to see where that goes (JD Pardo would have made a fuck of a Carlos Oliviera, btw). It was An Experience and it’s forever at my #1. 

#2 - The Last of Us 

There is no comparison for emotional weight in video games, as far as I’m concerned. SPOILERS if you don’t already know the ending (this game came out in what, 2014?) but to me one of the biggest thing in the game’s favor is that the protagonist made the wrong choice. He had an option to potentially eradicate the cordyceps fungus and maybe save the world, turn the tides back for humanity, and with the weight of the world in the balance, he chose to save Ellie instead. It was, on a global scale, the wrong choice - but it was the human choice. It was the thing that a dad who never properly grieved his dead daughter would do for the surrogate daughter he inherited by accident. As for Ellie, there is no other character quite like her in games, and she’s fucking quality LGBT representation, especially considering how little we see queer children in media. I still cry every time, we play this game twice a year like clockwork and every single time, I still cry. 

#3 - Silent Hill 3 

All of SH’s games will have a special place in my heart - and if you wanna talk shit about Downpour, I’ll meet you in the Denny’s parking lot at 11, you better square the fuck up because I will defend Murphy with fists - but 3 is the best, hands down. I felt like it did the best job of streamlining the series’ ... uhm... somewhat complicated lore into something more understandable. SPOILERS: The villains are horrific - the Missionaries strike fear into my heart every time I play, and Claudia eating a miscarried god fetus to become god herself? Fucked up on a level you rarely see. I suppose if you didn’t catch it in the last sentence - your protag Heather vomits up a fetal god late in the game. Yes, you read that right. The best thing about this game though? Heather. I could climb up my feminist soapbox and talk about Heather as a subversion to video game tropes all fucking day - she’s a nonsexualized teenage girl whose father is killed for her character development. She’s self-sufficient, tough but still vulnerable, and hard as nails in a fight. As I might have mentioned a time or six, she also voluntarily aborts a god because Fuck Your Plans, She’s Got Her Own. 

#4 - Final Fantasy X 

Listen. I don’t know how much of this is because of actually enjoying playing the game and how much of it is emotional attachment. As most of you who follow me know, my mother died when I was sixteen. When I was about fourteen, I dated a rich kid who used to bring his PS2 to our very not-rich house and play games for us to watch - the sort of neophyte version of Watching Guys Play Videogames, if you will, which is another rant for another time. He got a Gamecube specifically so I could play RE Zero and Hunter The Reckoning. He was a neckbeard but he was also desperate to keep me from ditching so he did the smart thing and plied my very poor ass with money and food. The #1 game in the watching roster, though, was FFX - and if you know anything about the game, you know how heavily spirituality features into the story. My mother, very caught up in a very Eastern Philosphy Meets Quantum Physics internal seeking about the nature of things, was hooked from the word Go. She used to sit and watch Trey play for hours - we all did, but having her join us and love it that much? Wonderful. Half my memories of this game are both of us crying - crying when Yuna dances to send the souls, crying when Yuna reveals she’s on a suicide mission, crying when she and Tidus fall in love anyway, crying when she sends her Aeons to die in the final fight, crying over ‘the fayts are waking up’, crying when the big reveal about Auron comes up, crying crying crying. My wife bought it in 2011 and I watched her play through it again and while it suffers from the same issue as all FF games - too much filler and weird battle scenarios - it was cathartic. I miss my mom. 

#5 - Resident Evil 6 

Eat my entire ass. You already knew this was coming. I will defend this game to my grave for the fact that we have complex, interesting narratives surrounding female characters who have actual personalities. Was it perfect? No. Did it take RE out of horror territory and move it more into action? Woefully, yes. Is this series deeply problematic for where it chooses to set down your mostly-white protags and have them kill their way through? Big time. Don’t gloss those facts. But it’s got emotional punch in spades and a few weird character breaks that ended up being kind of brilliant - Chris has been so resiliently relentless in his fight against bioterrorism that a major PTSD break was inevitable. Leon would of course risk life and limb to help Helena, even though she implicated herself in something terrible. The icing on the cake to me was a grown up Sherry Birkin, wide eyed and believing like hell in the fight she thought she was on the right side of and getting knocked down only to get back up. Ada’s entire side campaign was brilliant. I hate some of the control choices they made in this game - the running from the Haos scenes near the end of Chris and Piers’ campaign makes me want to eat my own fist - but so it goes with most RE games (until RE4, moving your protag was like driving a tank). Jake and Sherry are My Unsinkable Ship. There are at least six scenes across this game that never get easier to watch - when the bomb hits the city and the cut scene of the mass infections begin, I still get sick to my stomach - and that, to me, is the mark that this game struck a hell of a chord in terms of storytelling. 

This was long. 

[comicteaparty]

January 15th-January 21st, 2020 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from January 15th, 2020 to January 21st, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

What sort of merchandise are you most likely to buy for webcomics you read and why?

carcarchu

does a physical copy of the book count as merch? nothing compares to the feel of a real book in your hands and watching my collection grow is so satisfying. i like having a tangible way to show my support. after that is small prints. i rarely see acrylic charms of webcomic characters but those are nice too

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I know I'm particularly weak for enamel pins - which happen to be the first major merch I made for my first time tabling at a con. They're definitely the most common thing for me to consider purchasing from others. I also like small prints and stickers! And if a particularly cute character is somehow made into a plush... I'd be all over that, too.

Cronaj

For me, I love physical comics. So if a webcomic creator made a physical print version of their comic, that would be the best way to entice me to buy something. Comics almost always look better on paper in my opinion, and I'm a weirdo when it comes to book smell I sniff new books like an absolute degenerate. The other thing I would buy is art prints or art books. I have a huuuuge collection of art prints from creators I admire. So keep 'em comin'! I mean, I'll buy any merch that calls to me, but usually if I can't put it on a shelf, hang it on the wall, or wear it, I probably have no use for it.

Capitania do Azar

I'm a big fan of physical copies and charms of all kinds! I also appreciate stickers and small prints (big prints are nice, but take up a lot of space). Zines with side stories or related/concept art are also a good choice

keii4ii

Storage is a big issue for me, so I tend to not buy physical books unless like... it's a comic I would love to read but can't do so online easily (e.g. if the website doesn't function properly on my computer) I really like prints that have qualities/features that can't be replicated digitally -- e.g. foil, holo coating, VERY special paper texture, etc. (I've even seen one artist offer lenticular prints which I thought was awesome -- just wasn't into the characters that were on the art) Small to medium sized prints are fairly easy to store, so that's also a big plus for me! Also, clear plastic folders? I've never bought them admittedly, but those can look SO nice with the right type of art (some artworks look so special when printed on that clear material). I wish more people offered them so I could actually buy these, but I understand they can be costly to print.

Tired Programmer

I would buy physical copies as well. About the storage issue... Well, when I understand, that there are too many of them for my humble bookcase, I just sell or give old ones away. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ And also stickers. Stickers rock. (edited)

SAWHAND

I agree! If I really like the comic I like to have a physical copy! It feels special since I think a lot of times they're limited printing. I also really like stickers since they can just get put on something I already have and thus not take up extra space. I generally don't get prints because wall space is at a premium and I feel silly not having them hung up, but that's just a personal preference. Other than that it would have to be something really cool or something with function, like a notebook or...I don't know, an apron, or maaaybe a t-shirt.

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Printed comics are definitely my go to fav especially if it's a webcomic I've been really wanting to read but haven't had the time to do it online. Sitting down with a book is a lot easier for me that sitting with my phone or pulling my laptop out. I do also like stickers a lot. I've really gotten into covering the inside covers of my sketchbooks with them the last few years X)

kayotics

I usually go for printed books, pins, or plushies. If there’s a Kickstarter happening I’ll usually splurge for a pin tier if it exists. I don’t use stickers that much but I know a lot of people love them? But it’s not my thing.(edited)

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Usually printed books and phone charms. I will always buy webcomics that go to print and I collect charms. Other things like stickers and pins are nice, but often too pricey. I will go for them when they're bundled into KS tiers with printed books, though.

varethane

Printed books for me! Sometimes stickers, and sometimes enamel pina

Pins

I dont tend to get prints because I wont really do anything with them

(But my prints tend to sell decently, so there is a market for them out there...)

keii4ii

I just like collecting prints! I don't even put them on my wall, I just stick them in a binder kind of like my own custom-curated artbook

I really like seeing the combination of certain artworks and certain paper textures!

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

omg Kei...why have I not thought of that ?? I will now do that for all the print i've collected gosh!! and I agree with Vare, books are top tier merch I go for (zines included) Prints are a second for me, with charms and pins being the thing i least go for bc of space (though I am seeing pin boards come into fashion and I'm def into doing that as well!)

mariah (rainy day dreams)

I do really love pins too, I'm just really bad at remembering to wear them. I probably should get myself one of those clear back packs con goers wear.

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

oh yes ita bags!

varethane

The problem with me wearing pins is that I normally bike everywhere, while wearing a backpack

So if I put them on a jacket, the straps of the bag will rub on most of the good pin locations

And if they fall off while I'm riding my bike they are lost forever

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I tried putting pins on my backpack for a while.... only to come home and realise they fell off at some point during the day.

varethane

Yeah :(

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Ita bag! Yes! Lol I'm always super scared that my pins will just break and I'll loose them X') so when I do remember to wear one I'm constantly checking to make sure it's still on me

varethane

I have one jacket that I've been putting most of my pins on, which I wear to conventions

And it did pretty well except my rice boy pin fell off somewhere in the Seattle airport and is now lost forever :(

Betrayal......

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

i have def...super glued pins to my backpack before and the rubber backings are so bad for pins too bc they never hold

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Oh, patches are another thing, like pins, that I love but usually have to stop myself from getting. I need to find a good patch jacket, because I really love a patch. I've been wanting to make one for my own comic merch for a while too.

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

ohhh yes same-- i stll have patches that i havent done anything yet with bc i haven't found The Right Jacket

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Same TuT

Eightfish

I've got the Property of Hate tarot postcards up on my wall right now. Also partial to a good enamel pin. What I'd love to see in merch is a well designed, stylish shirt, but haven't really found that so far. I find webcomic shirts tend to be too detailed and illustration-y to look good as shirts, and would prefer something more graphic.

Q @CecilieQMT making WAYFINDERS

I'd love to design shirts! Just haven't figured out how to get them printed properly... ^^'

RebelVampire

For me, it's digital copies. So PDFs and eBooks. Unlike many people here, I can't stand print copies for a myriad of reasons. XD But digital copies I can get behind cause it supports the artist, has some nice bonus stuff sometimes, and generally collects everything nicely so some website hiccups aren't a problem. While this has never come up because it's rare, I would also buy plushies. Cause one can never have enough plushies. But alas, I don't think the market is there for that XD

kayotics

Plushies are just really hard to produce and store, same with T-shirts

Well, T-shirts aren’t that hard to produce, but they’re hard to store and keep a good amount of sizes

Mei

I tend to buy books/physical copies of webcomics I like! I really enjoy the physical reading experience! I also really like buying enamel or non-enamel pins. I enjoy collecting them, but going off what people have already said, I also have an innate fear of losing them :(

AntiBunny

If it has a cute character, and the price is in my budget, plushies are awesome. Unfortunately that's a difficult one to do, because small batches of plush that are build by hand are going to be expensive, and a comic has to be very popular to warrant more economical large runs. And I'll also say physical books.

Mei

plushies ARE awesome

I got the coyote plushie from Tom, the guy who does Gunnerkrigg Court

I just really love it

and also I couldn't decide which of the MANY volumes of comics to buy

(i didn't and still don't have space to stock up on a lot of books so I must be prudent sometimes)

((but my bed always has space for plushies))

[japanessie]

hi! idk if you've heard oor's new album yet but what do you think abt it?

Hello 😊

Sorry for not replying earlier. I went on a holiday and took a long break from Tumblr.

Kept this one in my draft for a long time just hanging.

I need to make clear that I’m not exactly running an OOR blog though 😁. I do MY FIRST STORY and SWANKY DANK here. I do write about Taka or OOR only when it concerns Hiro or MFS 😊.

Anyway, I’m open to any questions 😁.

My Thoughts on ONE OK ROCK’s Eye Of The Storm

I did listen to the Japanese version of Eye Of The Storm at the listening station when I walked into Tower Records during my vacation.

Here’s the funny thing. To prepare myself for EOTS, I actually got myself to listen to some selected Ariana Grande’s stuff on a daily basis. What better way to adapt myself other than listening to arguably the biggest Pop singer in the world at the moment, right?

© Photo by Japanessie

That ONE OK “POP” thing

To me it IS a Pop album. While some OOR fans took issues with some fans calling the band ONE OK POP, I, on the other hand don’t find it offensive as I am personally not opposed to Pop music as long as it’s done well. I grew up listening to lots of great Pop music. But then, the Pop singers in my formative years were Michael Jackson, George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston etc. High quality Pop there. The 80s was awesome!

I noticed that the fans who were excited over EOTS tend to be those who like the current Pop music. The ones who enjoy putting KPop idols as their profile photos or the ones who discovered the band from 35XXXV onwards. The old rocker fans generally panned it.

Having said that, I find EOTS to have some fine moments but for the most part, it’s …. hmm ….. vapid.

Generic sound

It does sound like it came out from a “hit factory”. I don’t mean that in a good way though. After listening to EOTS, I went over to another booth listening to Avril Lavigne’s new album. Guess what? The music felt the same.

I’m familiar with how the music industry works in America. It’s always been that way. Besides always separating the “star” from the rest of the group, the record execs would always aim for getting as much airplay as possible and sure sales. Thus, getting the “hitmakers” a.k.a outside songwriters to work with preferably the “star”.

To be fair, I’m guilty of “falling” under the “spell” of the hitmakers from my generation myself. Heaven knows how many songs I had faved that had been written or co-written by Diane Warren, Desmond Child, Robert John “Mutt” Lange, John Shanks etc. Oh, for my Backstreet Boys fangirl side, of course there are Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson LOL.

I totally understand why OOR, particularly Taka, is doing what they are doing BUT my main gripe with today’s music production is it doesn’t allow the individuality of the artist to come through. Things are way too cookie cutter now.

The highs and the duds

The title track Eye Of The Storm is the strongest song on this album to me. I don’t have a problem that this is a Pop album but this song is also the one that belongs to the “Power Pop” category. If you want some traces of what OOR used to be, that spirit is here. Oh, bear in mind, I said “spirit” and not “sound”. I mean, that raging feeling OOR used to exude when they wanted to shout out their hearts’ contents to the world back in the days. THAT spirit. The genre is not Rock but Taka’s vocal delivery on this one can bring back that picture of that energetic band with a shaggy-dog-haired singer who commanded the Livehouse stages like they were stadiums.

Change may not be as strong as Eye Of The Storm but it still belongs in that Power Pop category. Though it became the 1st OOR song ever that made me shake my booty when it was first released as a single, I had been accepting this song as a Pop song from the start that I could enjoy it as it is. Booty and all LOL. It sounds like what Michael Jackson would have approved. Regardless of whether you like MJ or not, I find it to be high quality Pop fitting for the King of Pop himself. Except OOR is performing it instead. For the record, I did buy both versions of Change from iTunes.

Head High is also another song I would put as another high point on EOTS. It’s different from anything they had done before but it still turns out strong.

Push Back is pretty interesting. I can see what their intention is with this one. They wanted their take on that “stomp-your-feet-and-sing-along” song like QUEEN’s Radio Ga Ga or We Will Rock You. The drum beats remind me of Def Leppard, which is a good thing.

Generally I’m not turned on much by most of the songs. Some are OK to listen but my world isn’t really missing a thing if they don’t exist either. Like I said, it’s … hmm… vapid. At least to my ears.

In The Stars is the absolute DUD on this album! This song is the epitome of creativity getting sucked out dry in today’s music scene. Taka is a talented songwriter and in the past, he was often able to come up with hook-laden melodies and soaring choruses that stayed in your head from the first listen. But all that this one does is meandering on and on. This song is the opposite of everything OOR was. Again, the genre isn’t the issue to me but the deteriorating quality of the songwriting is. Seriously?? Listen to that chorus! “Up … up …up”. “Down … down … down … ”. LAME. LAME. LAME. Sorry not sorry.

Thankfully the ending track The Last Time isn’t a dud. After going through more than half of the album, I was a bit apprehensive to go all the way, constantly questioning myself what if this ended on a low note? So grateful that didn’t happen. Thank you for putting this song as the last track. At least, EOTS ended with kind of a bang.

© Photo by Japanessie

EOTS has to rely on Taka’s charisma

The thing is, with the rock genre, each member of a band can have their own place to shine but once you switch to this kind of music, with their instruments getting somewhat surpressed behind all the electronics and effects, Toru, Ryota and Tomoya lost their “instrumentalist voices”. Only Taka’s voice and delivery that are left to somewhat differentiate EOTS from what are already out there.

My Verdict

Not something I’m crazy to spend my money on, at least for now. I think I’ll just pick the few songs I like from iTunes but I’m not in a rush for it either. There are many smaller bands out there producing the kind of music that excites me more and they deserve my support. Having said that, who knows I might soften up later on and pick up a physical copy 😊?

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E03 Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 563 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated! 

Please note that this is the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

Rate the episode

84% of users rated the episode a 4 or 5 this week, compared to 64% last week. This episode had less action, but was full of key character moments that manga readers were excited to see animated.

So far it's my favourite since it follows the most the manga but with some bearable adjustemements. If the episodes will be like this from now on, I'll be completely satisfied and could get over all the changes in the first two episodes.

The adaptation is doing well, but of course manga readers(me included) about some bits being changed and rearranged. But on the other hand they might come me up with something unexpectedly good. I won't forgive them if they don't give shit machine tho.

It’s starting to feel more like the arc I love

It was great, I'm having trouble deciding which episode is the best of this season yet. I thought the second one was the best, but then I remember the premiere and now, once again, I am thinking about the 3rd one being the greatest. The quality this season is off the charts.

Compared to episode 2, episode 3 was quite uninteresting

I think it must have been boring and confusing for Anime-only's

This episode was appropriately paced for an episode full of flashbacks, and honestly I think it paid off to get the backstories of Erwin and Historia in one showing to avoid conflicting with the future action episodes.  I don't have much else to say- I can't really be critical because it was a pretty good episode, adaptation-wise.

Which of the following moments were your favorite?

Hange taking their anger out on the table and Levi walking in on it is the winner here! The closest runner ups were seeing Levi’s wanted poster and getting Erwin and Historia’s backstories. We all agree it was nice to see many of these things in color animation finally!

Hange's scene where she blames her table destruction on a cockroach? Totally relatable. And I loved that Levi kinda teased her for it.

I have been waiting for Erwin's back story for AGES and was not disappointed! Kidwin was as heartbreakingly adorable as expected (that nose!! The sad bby at the funeral!!)

I liked all the topics they addressed that had been previously skipped (Historia and Erwin’s pasts). Also, while the sequence of events have been changed, I’m looking forward to how they are going to pan this out.

Erwin has great ass.

Hange's tableflip scene was amazeballs, man I love her!!

Pixis in a suit. Pixis in a suit. Pixis in a suit. Pixis in a suit. Pixis in a suit. Pixis in a suit. Pixis in a suit. Pixis in a suit. Pixis in a suit. Pixis in a suit. Pixis in a suit.

The conversation between Erwin and Pixis gave me thrills. I thought it was going to be boring, but it was very well shown.

My girl Hange's time to shine in this episode! I want her "BAAAKAAAA" as a ringtone asap

Who drew it better: WIT or Isayama?

51% of respondents thought the OG drew it best. Isayama can finally sleep at night. Funnily enough, the anime only respondents preferred WIT’s version!

Who has the best reaction to Historia’s backstory?

Sasha took the lead as she paused licking at her soup bowl to listen to Historia’s story. Connie was easily the next runner up with his dumbfounded expression. We weren’t surprised to see Springles win this one!

How cute was baby Historia?

The vast majority of respondents just wanna pinch those cute little cheeks (and probably take her home, treat her to some hot cocoa and love her properly).

And baby Historia was the cutest omg! That lil nose and her lil blush! I'm crying bittersweet tears here.

How could anyone possibly look down on and abuse such a precious little bean like baby Historia?? Alma's so pathetic…

Baby Historia is the cutest thing I have seen in anime. She is so adorable and sweet! I would love to hug her so much! She is just too cute! <3

Child Hisu is ADORKABLE

How cute was little Erwin?

While this is a tiny bit more spread out than Historia, the majority of respondents were also enamored with adorable kidwin and are ready to adopt him at any time (and probably give lots of hugs too!).

BABYWIN!!!!!!!!!

Young Erwin was def my fav bighead-bigbrows!

I love Erwin so muchhhh my precious baby is so cute and handsome at the same timeeeee I just want to hug him and never let anything bad happen to him againnnnn

The episode was dialogue heavy with a lot of character backstories and plot exposition. What type of episodes do you tend to prefer watching?

In general, respondents don’t mind if an episode has a lot of action or if it’s a bit slower with some good plot developments. What matters is that we keep moving forward and that it’s entertaining, right?

About episode type: Tense conversation ready to break into action at any second, like when Kenny and Levi were talking in the bar.

It was a nice change of pace after all the fights in the first 2 episodes but I'm looking forward to the action  coming back next episode

Did Flegel really stay in that alleyway the entire night?

We asked this mostly for fun and respondents didn’t disappoint. The majority believe that he did stay in the alleyway the entire night, but plenty of you had some fun commentary (and sass) to provide us all with some laughs:

Based on how the events at Erwin's went, I'd guess that Reeves was killed nearing dawn and it hasn't been that long.

During the night, he went to slay all of marley and came back in the morning, Flegel for president!

Oh crap, I didn't even notice that. Part of me wants to say maybe he left and came back, but that really doesn't make much sense if he's trying to not get caught. No doubt the Interior Squad would have surveyed the area a little before getting the body ready for a public reveal to frame Erwin.

He took one long leak

He went to get sour cream and came back

Slept in a trash-can then went for a morning stroll

insert Schroedinger's cat analogy

No clearly Annie came and rescued him

Somehow he knew Commander Handsome will be there, so yeah, he stayed. I would stay too <3

no, he crawled up the wall like a spider and slept on the rooftops dont worry

On a scale of 1-5, how distressed are you about Eren being tied, gagged and drugged?

Most respondents seemed unconcerned or indifferent to Eren’s current situation, but those who are distressed were pretty vocal about it:

PLEASE MAKE SURE THE POOR BOY GETS SOME WATER???  The little scene with his in-and-out of consciousness is very distressing to see!

I pray that Eren gets a happy ending; I feel SO stressed for him

Who has the best hat?

Connie’s sunhat took the lead! But we agree that all hats are good and that everyone was looking fab.

HAT HAT HAT I'm really hoping that from this point on, they will follow the manga more closely again, as I am not super impressed by the current shake-up in event order but most importantly HAT HAT HAT JEAN GOT HIS HAT.

The hats!!! The hats are so good!

Love his top hat but lost half his lines for it

JEAANNN'S HAAAT

How many flashbacks within flashbacks is too many?

Half of respondents appreciated the Inception reference and just want to be flashbacked into oblivion. Okay but seriously, there were some who got a bit confused by WIT’s use of flashbacks for some of these scenes. We hope you’re holding up okay during current manga chapters!

bit weird to slow it down this much when the first 2 episodes were so action packed, 2 flashbacks in one episode is a bit much if you ask me. the episode didnt give you any break or a few seconds to let the information sink in.

I was confused by flashbacks in flashbacks. I don't lke that type of stuff and I got feeling that they were traveling in time :/

How do you feel about the rearrangement of events after this episode?

45% are still tentative and not ready to judge the situation just yet. However, a good 37% combined are either content or are already finding they like the changes better. It seems the optimism is starting to improve overall!

Dont remember much of the order of events in this arc, as long as it all makes sense its fine. I trust Isayamas judgment

I prefer the manga’s order, but I am content, BUT I’m still waiting for more episodes to make a final judgement, BUT  I’m still very confused with where they are going with this.

I want to slap the whole WIT Studios and Yams but u know im okay for now.

Same story, different medium. Pretty neutral, happy I don’t know word for word what’s going to happen.

So I was very very nervous about the changes and pacing, but them taking the time to slow down and let the emotional weight of Historia and Erwin's backstories sink in is just what I needed to calm down a bit. I still have some preferences with the manga, but I'm sated to the point of watching and waiting without making too much of a fuss.

Some changes do make the action flow smoother, but im not happy that the studio decided to cut out Reeves-Levi wall bonding and L's squad 2.0's doubts on killing people

Rearrangement? Who cares? Erwin on graveyard was pure sex how was I supposed to thino about rearrangments???

I think the anime is doing a good job restructuring the arc, and is preserving its internal consistency quite well. But I am upset about some of the things that got removed, so I don't quite like the anime's retelling.

The rearrangement was understandable, however until I can look over the whole arc, I wouldn't be able to give a fair opinion on the execution of this season.

How do you feel about Historia’s absence when the Survey Corps proposed she needs to be queen?

As with the previous question, nearly half of voters are not yet ready to judge how the changes will affect the arc overall. 35% of you guys think it was a bad choice on WIT’s part. It’s probably safe to say we’re all on our toes wondering how WIT is going to handle this plot development as they move forward!

I hope we can still see the Levi smiling moment at the end of this arc despite the absence of these scenes.

I prefer Rod being the one to push the idea of her royalty into her, and I still think we'll get a moment regarding Levi's will to accept a different kind of hell and pushing Historia to make a choice in some other way later.

It didn't have a huge significance to the plot but it gave both Historia and Levi some good characterisation.

I feel a mixture of "I need more episodes" and "It was a poor choice".

Had to be done for an action packed start the season but I'm disappointed as it is an important scene for Levi's development

It was a poor choice that broke an important chain of events, it was Levi who had to force Historia.

Ralph called Hange a devil after they were locked up. Was this good foreshadowing to current manga events?

71% of respondents believed that this was good foreshadowing! We suppose one nice part of the anime being as behind from the manga as it is, is that we can recall these older moments that manage to have thematic relevance to current events.

I think Hange being called a devil was amazing foreshadowing, but also in a sense that, by overthrowing the current system, they are unwittingly putting themselves in the exact same position as the old government and its cronies were in with almost exactly the same problems and solutions available to them, the poor things just don't see it yet.

After this week, do you believe future episodes are now going to be more faithful to the original chapters?

50% of voters are confident that WIT is mostly headed back toward the linear timeline of the manga, with maybe small bits and pieces shuffled or omitted. 28% aren’t feeling as optimistic about it, however. But 18% are confident we’re back onto the strict manga timeline.

I'll have to wait and see all the episodes. No point trying to guess, only to be disappointed. Isayama authorised the changes, let's see what his new vision of these chapters!

I believe they will be faithful more than just "a little bit."  It seems the PV is a good indicator of that.  The Historia rising up to be queen is definitely going to be handled differently and there is no way around that.  But I'm ready, Wit!

im still trying to grasp what they trying to do of the pacing and the moments and i still hope the upcoming eps will make sense of all that cuts and flashbacks.

They'll have to do something different with Levi and Historia's 'discussion' about her becoming queen. I wonder if it will happen later, and someone else will do Reeve's line about him being a scary but good man? It would be interesting if someone like Mikasa does it.

Leaked episode titles PROVE they are gonna butcher up the cave scene

Maybe yes, maybe not. It all depends on Isayama and WIT, so let us wait for episode 41, shall we?

Which scene from the PV are you most looking forward to this week?

The largest group are most looking forward to Jean testing whether or not they can trust Marlowe and Hitch (please give us the stick WIT!). The close runner up is Levi interrogating the MP with the nice mustache and a case of foot-in-mouth. Literally.

I'm totally excited to see Marlowe and Hitch!

Central MP HQ next week?!?! Hoping for some new action scenes.

GIVE ME HITCH AND MARLO RIGHT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW

everyone in the PV is hot (yes pulverized erwin is still included)

Which group of characters are you favorite?

“All of them” wins as the good neutral vote.

I never know how to answer the which group is your favorite question because my fav is 104th + Annie (sans RB). So I'm always answering sans RBA which is unfair to Annie.

Where you do primarily discuss the series?

Additional thoughts on the episode?

A little bit better, but not enough. But overall I'm satisfied and I enjoyed it.

All in all, a very nicely done episode. I like how the story is coming together, all the different elements in the manga are there, just in a different order. I had high hopes for this season and so far I am not disappointed!

At this point I have absolutely NO clue where they are, or what's going on. The manga was less confusing for me.

Damn cockroaches, always ruining Hange's day.

Earlier I was really salty about Levi having to hold Mikasa back everytime it was mentioned that Eren was kidnapped, but later I noticed that instead of Mikasa being cool with it immediately like she was in her manga, in the anime they are slowing her development down to make it more realistic and believable(Levi had to physically restrain her the first time around, while the second time he just had to talk her down) so I still have faith it wit. I am still a little angry that the "That wasn't how I raised him." scene was cut though. It was an important Mikasa-Armin moment. But oh well! At least we got to see Jean in his glorious fedora!

Felt well-paced, I do like that they are tweeking things to make the anime feel more smooth.

Hanji looked like a snack throughout this episode shes so hot oh my god I’m so gay

Baby Erwin and Historia are wonderful, and I really like that they put two very different parent/child relationships on display here. Erwin's devotion to his father's theories, and the closeness to their relationship paralleled the neglegence Alma showed towards Historia - and in the end, the parents meet the same fate, offed by the Interior Squad."

Both Historia and Erwin's backstories needed stronger direction. Also, just a nitpick, but the soundtrack they used when Sannes told Hange "good luck" was an extremely weird choice. It was a very grim and ominous scene yet the music in the background didn't reflect that.

Pixis' lack of opposition was annoying. It seemed like he was just there so that Erwin had someone to talk about his backstory to. In the manga his red-line of no blood being spilled and his willingness to stay with the nobility if they had unknown but good reasons for their behaviour increased the stakes a lot.

I love the consistent tension buildup and the music choices that just compliment it. Sawano has been on a roll with the new tunes, and the way old ones have been used has been fantastic. Attack on D for Erwin's flashback is a choice I didn't consider, but I'll be damned if that wasn't a great call.

I just want to protect smol Historia and precious little Kidwin

Loving the development for Erwin. People need to realize that he isn't some cold hearted badass. He has feelings too ya know!

Thank you to everyone who participated! We’ll see you back on Monday! 

[meadow-dusk]

LONG LONG LONG

a music survey from livejournal days…

- TO TAKE THIS SURVEY, SIMPLY PUT YOUR MUSIC PLAYER ON SHUFFLE AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS WITH THE TITLE OF THE SONG THAT COMES ON - [it’s better if you don’t cheat and don’t skip any songs.]

What is your name?: Moby Dick • Led Zep

How is your life going?: Get on the Right Thing • Paul McCartney

What is your nickname?: The Day the World Gets ‘Round • George Harrison

What is your theme song?: Little Games • The Yardbirds

What is your best friend’s theme song?: Wait • The Beatles

How is your life going to turn out?: Communication Breakdown • Led Zeppelin

Will you get married?: Four Sticks • Led Zeppelin

Will you have kids?: For What It’s Worth • Haley Reinhart

What will your job be?: Rattled • Traveling Wilburys

Did you/will you finish school?: Good Times, Bad Times • Led Zeppelin

Who is your best friend?: Behind that Locked Door • George Harrison

Who is or will be your significant other?: Think Pink! • Beyond Pink

Who do you like?: We’re All in This Together • High School Musical Cast

How will you die?: Stairway to Heaven • Led Zeppelin (YAAAAAS)

How do you feel right now?: Sentimental Journey • Ringo Starr

What is your favorite song?: Matilda Mother • Pink Floyd

How could you describe your parents?: Pilate and Christ • Jesus Christ Superstar (you can’t make this stuff up yall)

Your best friend[s]?: Postcards from Paradise • Ringo Starr

Your teachers?: She’s Not There • The Zombies

Your significant other [or crush…]?: Riding on a Bus • The Beatles (an interview)

Yourself?: Brian Bathtubes • The Beatles (taking requests)

What is your best feature?: The Riddle • Five for Fighting

What will you be/should you be, profession-wise?: Desire • U2

How could you describe this survey?: I Told You So • Randy Travis

What makes you angry?: Moanin’ • Chris Farlowe ft. Jimmy Page and a random sitarist (this song is so interesting)

What makes you sad?: Everything I Know • Mandy Gonzalez 

What makes you happy?: One • Bee Gees

What makes you dance?: I Still • Backstreet Boys

What is your favorite color?: Sundown • Gordon Lightfoot

How would you describe yourself?: Heart Attack • One Direction

Who is your worst enemy?: Little Soldier Boy • The Yardbirds

Who do you hate?: No Me Diga • In the Heights

Who do you love?: I Started a Joke • Bee Gees

Who do you lust after?: What Do You Want? • The Yardbirds Finish the Sentence I wish: Rainy Day Women #12 and 35 • Bob Dylan I want to: We’re on the Road Again • Ringo Starr I want to kill:. Money • The Beatles I want to eat: Spring Musical Medley • HSM3 yall with Kryan duet to open My head: Sometimes I’ll Be There • Naked Brothers Band (accurate) I am: Movin On • Rascal Flatts My best feature is: The Sad Bells of Rhymney • Fifth Avenue My eyes are: Safest Place to Hide • Backstreet Boys My hair is: Who Can See It • George Harrison My face is: Baby Come on Home • Led Zeppelin You should: Not This Time • 3Lw

Random Words of advice: And Here We Are Again • The Beatles  How do others see me?: Rhythm of Love • Plain White T’s How do I see myself?: Knowing Me, Knowing You • ABBA *** For this first section, put down the first ten songs that play, and then rate them on a scale of 1 - 5 (5 being the best) in the next column. 1. I Have a Dream •  Abba 2/5 2. Sounds of Silence • Simon and Garfunkel 5/5 3. In The Flesh • Pink Floyd 4/5  4. Ya-Ya •  John Lennon (ft. Julian on drums) 4/5  5. Magic Bus • The Who Live at the Isle of Wright 4/5 6. Stomp • Steps 2/5 7. KICK DA DUST UP • Luke Bryan 4/5 8. Your Mother Should Know • The Beatles 5/5 9. Photograph • Ringo (2017) 3/5 he sounds great but it isn’t exciting also who’s the chick I didnt sign up for this 10. Piggies • The Beatles 5/5 good one George Now for a little fortune telling… 1. Who am I?: Tug of War • Paul McCartney 2. Why am I here?: Bet On It • Zac Efron (skittles and steak) 3. What’s my theme song?: American Beauty/American Psycho • Fall Out Boy 4. How’s tomorrow gonna be?: Behind Blue Eyes • The Who 5. What does ______ really think of me?: Let’s Go to Vegas • Faith Hill 6. What’s this school year going to be about?: Man on Fire • Andy Gibb 7. Is something bad going to happen in the near future?: Little Bitty • Alan Jackson 8. What’s the government going to do next?: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band/The End • Paul McCartney Live at Citi Field 9. What’s my best friend doing right now?: Inutil • Carlos Gomez 10. What does my iPod/MP3 think about me?: American Girl • Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Last section! These next questions are all about music 1. I absolutely LOVE this song!: The Look of Love • ABC Comments: This was in Start the Commotion and there was a clip art of eyes as the O’s in look 2. I have no clue why this song is still on my music player: Steppin’ Out • John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers Comments: It’s saved because I occasionally really try to get into Clapton 3. This song has AMAZING lyrics: Love Will Find a Way • Pablo Cruise Comments: I remembered his initials but not his name

4. The band that does this song is one of my favorites: Most Peculiar Man • Simon and Garfunkel Comments: I would not say favorites but I give them their due 5. My dad loves this song: Songs About Rain • Gary Allan Comments: he bought the CD and took it on road trips so probs 6. My mom can’t stand this song: The Hook (All My Love) • Led Zeppelin Comments: she probably can stand it more than me 7. I have a sibling who enjoys listening to songs by this band: When You See a Chance • Steve Winwood Comments: fair to say that cause once she asked me what the name of Valerie was 8. One of my best friends hates the band that does this song: Like Nobody’s Around • Big Time Rush Comments: NO FRIEND OF MINE! 9. I got this song off a mix CD: Got My Mind Set On You • George Harrison Comments: I learned how to do the mashed potato to this song 10. This song is on a movie soundtrack: The Freedom Song • Jason Mraz Comments: could definitely be but don’t hold this one down

11. Share a memory involving this song in comments: Friday On My Mind • The Easybeats Comments: running to it - how was there this much good music at one time 12. I’ve played this song on repeat before: You’re My Number One • S Club 7 Comments: Try this ALBUM back when we used to play S Club and have choreography 13. This song is on the band’s Greatest Hit’s CD: Ramblin’ Man • Allman Brothers Band Comments: if it isn’t they screwed up 14. I love dancing to this song!: If You Wanna Do a Dance • The Spinners Comments: seems like that was the idea 15. This song gets me every time I hear it: Bathroom Sound (Out on the Tiles early take) • Led Zeppelin Comments: I prefer the final version with vocals and silly quips but this version does just as well for Bonzo Appreciation Time 16. This song is great to listen to when you’re angry: Farmer Refuted (Instrumental) • Hamilton  Comments: OH MY GOD tear this dude apart 17. I love the music video for this song: I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) • Moody Blues Comments: if there is one it’s probably psychedelic so I’d dig it I bet 18. I’ve seen the band that performs this song live: The Boxer • Simon and Garfunkel Comments: I have not.  This song is beautiful.  19. Is this song better to listen to at night, in the morning, or in the afternoon?: Let’s Get Rocked • Def Leppard Comments: morning, running. 20. I haven’t listened to this song in so long!: That’s the Way (Live Paris 1971) • Led Zeppelin Comments: not true it came on on the way to the gym barely a few weeks ago *** What were the first words to Abe Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address?: What ya gonna do when it’s cold outside? (Keep It Hid • Robert Plant) What did Martin Luther King have a dream about, anyways?: You’ve got a cute way of talking, you got the better of me! (You Make Me Feel Like Dancin’ • Leo Sayer)  Tomorrow’s newspapers will all have the major headline of: Out in the Rain Looking for Sunshine (Permanent Stain • Backstreet Boys) If someone offered you some free drugs, how would you respond?: Lord almighty, feel my temperature risin’...(Burning Love • Elvis) What kind of higher power do you believe in?: You need coolin, baby I’ ain’t foolin (Whole Lotta Love • Led Zeppelin) What do people really notice about you?: There’s a girl I know who makes me feel so good (Valleri • The Monkees) What do you notice first in the preferred sex of your choice?: Hey fellas, have ya heard the news you know that Annie’s back in town (Heartbreaker • Led Zeppelin) What do you look for in reading books?: They say that Richard Cory owns one half of this whole town, with political connections to spread his wealth around (Richard Cory • Wings) What’s a must-have quality in a friend for you?: Meeting people along my way, seemingly I’ve known one day (Happenings Ten Years Time Ago • The Yardbirds) What scares the shit out of you?: Gat Kirwani • George Harrison (this has no words it’s just a sitar jam) How do you laugh?: Anna, you come and ask me, girl, to set you free girl? (Anna (Go To Him) • The Beatles)  Why do you do these surveys?: When the night returns just like a friend, when the evening comes to set me free  (If You Know What I Mean • Neil Diamond) Do you have anything you’d like to confess?: I can see you in the window waiting for my call (Untouchable • Big Time Rush) How do you feel about the person you cannot stand the most?: If ever you’ve got rain in your heart, someone has hurt you and torn you apart, am I unwise to open up your eyes to love me (Run To Me • Bee Gees)  The best date ever, in your book, would consist of…: Dear Theodosia, what to say to you?(Dear Theodosia • Leslie Odom Jr. & Lin-Manuel Miranda) If you sent a random Hallmark card to a friend, you would write to them: Are we growing up or just going down? It's just a matter of time until we're all found out. (Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year • Fallout Boy) If you had the chance to speak to (a) God, what would you say?: Every time I see her, she don’t even look my way (Just My Style • Gary Lewis and the Playboys) Finish the sentence: “When the going gets tough…”: My friend came to me with sadness in his eyes and told me that he wanted help before his country dies (Bangla Desh • George Harrison)  How do you deal with your stress?: I can almost remember their funny faces (Jet • Paul McCartney) What is your biggest burden in life?: Somebody’s knocking at the door, somebody’s ringing the bell (Let Em In • Wings) What’s the coolest thing about your best friend?: Hands, put your empty hands in mine (Stand By You • Rachel Platten) Why do you love the one you do?: Sweet, wonderful you.  You make me happy with the things you do (You Make Loving Fun • Fleetwood Mac) If a friend broke their arm and got a cast, what would you write on it?: Gonna build myself a castle high up in the clouds (Dance the Night Away • Cream)  You see a stick and wet cement. What do you write?:  It feels so right now hold me tight (Hold Me Tight • The Beatles) A guy just stole your (purse, car, etc)! What do you yell at him?: Welcome to the camp, I guess you all know why you’re here (We’re Not Gonna Take It • The Who) You pass a crack addict on the corner one day. Solemnly he tells you: Well now we’re respected in society, we don’t worry bout the things that we used to be, we’re talkin heroin with the president (Respectable • The Rolling Stones) What will your baby’s first words be?:  He knows about you in every way, he's memorized every part of your face (Does He Know • One Direction) You are at your wit’s end, and decide to write a suicide note. It begins: The pound is sinking, the peso’s falling, the lira’s reeling and feeling quite appalling (The Pound is Sinking • Paul McCartney) Why can’t there be peace in the world?: Let’s talk about one, bay-bay, ya gotta hear me out (Get Another Boyfriend • Backstreet Boys)

How do you think people see you?: I walked in the band just started, the singer couldn't carry a tune in a bucket (Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo • Tracy Byrd) Inside, though, what kind of person are you really?: well the rain was a-fallin’ and the ground turned to mud, I was watchin’ all the people running from the flood (Deliver Your Children • Wings) If you wanted to comfort a friend, you’d say: Anytime, any day you can hear the people say that love is blind, well I don’t know but I say love is kind (Listen to What the Man Said • Wings) When you want to cheer someone up, you say: *I just make series of nonsense sounds* (Pow R. Toc H. • Pink Floyd) You’re unbelievably depressed because your friend just told you…: people say we’ve got it made, don’t they know we’re so afraid? (Isolation • John Lennon)

When you are incredibly bored, you start thinking about…?: I drive all alone, at night, I drive all alone, don’t know what I’m headed for. (Dead End Friends • Them Crooked Vultures) You’re a classy person, so instead of cursing when you’re mad, you yell…?: I met a gin-soaked, bar-room queen in Memphis (Honky Tonk Women • The Rolling Stones)   you’re writing a love letter, but what are you going to begin it with?: The theater’s so obsessed with drama so depressed, it’s hard to sell a ticket on broadway! (Keep It Gay • The Producers)  If you were to write a letter to the President of the USA, it would say…?: It’s a boy, Mrs. Walker, it’s a boy (It’s a Boy • The Who) What would someone have to tell you to make you really angry?: No no no no, don’t phunk with mah haaahrt (Don’t Phunk with My Heart • Black-Eyed Peas) …To make you really depressed?:  Cars and girls are easy to come by in this day and age, laughing joking drinking smoking til I spend my wage (Over Under Sideways Down • The Yardbirds) ...To make you sexually aroused?: Catch a star if you can, wish for something special (Are You Ready for Love • The Spinners) Your first thoughts waking up were…: Life is just a bowl of All-Bran, you wake up every morning and it’s there (Happydaystoytown • The Small Faces)  Your last words before falling asleep will be…: the sun is shining in the sky, there ain’t a cloud in sight (Mr. Blue Sky • Electric Light Orchestra)

[somuchkdrama]

Hwayugi 17-18 (II)

@dramajib I don't see how they're going to wrap all this up without it feeling anticlimactic honestly. Like the last we hear is that Oh Gong, by defeating the Geumganggo on his own, has created an opportunity to change fate. Which fits in with the Son Oh Gong of legends who is constantly defying the gods and the restrictions they try to impose on him

dramajib: But given how Sam Jang's duty/task has been this huge overarching driving force, I just don't see how they'll build it up enough in two episodes and knock it down without it just being another "haha jk easy fix" thing

dramajib: Another thing I wanna talk about is Ma Wang and also Bu Ja so holla when you guys are up

@rocknghorss​:  About Ma Wang... I’m feeling sympathetic toward him again

@triangularlily: Can I just say I wasn't paying too much attention to the episode and I was about ready to quit when I thought they had actually killed the secretary dog whose name I'm forgetting

triangularlily I was like THIS IS THE LAST STRAW

rocknghorss Lolol

A Potentially Boring Ending? 

rocknghorss: I was worried but then I realized that this show has never killed or seriously injured any of the main characters

rocknghorss: Kinda like what Ekta was saying earlier, the ending is probably going to be wildly boring unless they don’t let Oh Gong circumvent fate after all and Sam Jang kills him

rocknghorss I think her name is Secretary Ma btw

triangularlily: Ok I thought that's what it was too

triangularlily: Maybe there will be some kind of twist like I haven't found the show really that predictable maybe because it's so wacky

rocknghorss: Wacky is a good word for it

triangularlily: Also I know I kept harping on about wanting the guegensjskaong bracelet thing off but like it's too late at this point I think their romance won't ever do it for me

triangularlily: Like I am glad his feelings are real but it's just too late at this point

rocknghorss: His feelings are real but what are they based on is my issue!?  Because the version 1.0 model forced obedience upon whoever wore it

triangularlily: Yeah that is a good point

triangularlily: Actually a really interesting idea that probably won't be explored in the show

triangularlily: Like for me they must never developed the romance/their feelings  like they put the bracelet on and tada! he loves her! Like how am I supposed to be invested or believe in that

triangularlily: In the beginning of the show I thought maybe they would take the bracelet off and then they would kind of start over in their relationship and fall in love for real like sometimes what kdramas do with amnesia plots but like that's not what happened

rocknghorss: Their romance I think is really tough to believe cause of what you said earlier and also because they don’t really know each other.  Who is Jin Seon Mi really?  All I know about her is that she really likes the fact that there’s finally someone who likes her despite (or because of?) her magical powers.  And that’s a sad basis for a relationship.

dramajib: I think that’s a good point - I don’t have trouble believing their feelings for each other, but I just don’t care.  And that’s mostly because Seon Mi as a character hasn’t been fleshed out.  This sudden “I’m going to empty my heart of love and save the world” thing just makes no sense to me, it just seems like a way to keep the story moving

triangularlily: I think they def are just trying to keep the story moving.  I was glad tho that she seems to be the only one who cares about Bu Ja rather than PK rn

triangularlily: Also I rather wish she had powers since the beginning I kind of like that addition to her character even if it’s just more of a plot device

dramajib: Back to Ma Wang for a quick sec - I wondered if him being so gullible and easy to trick had anything to do with him being the (a?) devil.  Combined with how he’s so softhearted just seems like an interesting personality choice for this character.  Like we do see him being cold and harsh, but it never last very long and he’s obviously the biggest softy and everyone knows it.

rocknghorss: Ma Wang, kinda like Oh Gong, is ultimately harmless.  They’ve even dialed back Ah Sa Nyeo’s diabolical plans and made her seem almost sympathetic.  i really hope that whatever plan Oh Gong has up his sleeve also is meant to save BuJa too— it’s irritating that it’s only been PK and Octopus(?) that have seemed to care for the last ~8 episodes.

rocknghorss: Oh yeah, and Seon Mi too, when the writers let her care about something other than Oh Gong

triangularlily: I’m just really worried they’re gonna give the shaman some kind of redemption arc and she like agrees to be burned or something and BuJa just is like gone

rocknghorss: Let’s hope not!!!

rocknghorss: Also, going back to what you said last week Kristin… this show has so many side plots!  It’s pretty amazing that they’re all fairly (?) relevant to the overall plot.  Even Jason (that was his name right?) had a part to play in showing that Seon Mi could have a fairly normal human life if she found the right person.

triangularlily: Yeah, I think maybe that’s why it’s not living up to my expectations of a Hong sister’s drama.  I think it’s too complicated and maybe because it’s an adaption of something.  Maybe they’re just a lot better at writing their own stories.

rocknghorss: that’s an interesting idea.  I never thought of it like that.  They also did an adaptation of Chunhyang back in the day right?

triangularlily: Oh idk. I haven’t seen it!

rocknghorss: Well all I really recall about it is that it was boring lol.  

triangularlily: Well maybe I’m right then lol

rocknghorss: Ekta will you tell me what you meant earlier about Ma Wang being a/the devil and being gullible?  

dramajib: I just noticed that of all the characters, he seems to be the one who gets painted as this dumb foolish guy a lot, someone you can easily put one over

dramajib: Like even with PK, it’s only the BuJa angle that allows him to be manipulated.  But with Ma Wang it’s love, and then pride, and envy and family, and whole gamut of things that let people lead him on and allow him to be very susceptible to suggestion

dramajib: I mean, yes, he does eventually catch on and shake it off and get back to bad business, but mostly there’s this quality of gullibility attached to him that we don’t really see in the other characters as much - and it made me think about how in all the folk stories we always hear about the devil being tricked or outsmarted so that good triumphs over evil in the end.

dramajib: I know the other characters do get tricked and manipulated too, the main premise of the show is supposed to be about Seon Mi and Oh Gong’s feelings being manipulated, but it doesn’t have that same quality of “look how stupid this creature is lol” to it as it does with Ma Wang… Or maybe that’s just be being partial to Cha Seung Won again

rocknghorss: No lol.  I don’t think it’s the CSW bias.  I guess my only point of contention (if it can even be called that) is that as the devil, Ma Wang may be doing such a poor job at tempting people and is so easily tricked himself is because he’s a devil who was trying to become a deity.  

dramajib: Re BuJa (because I was asleep when you guys discussed it, because time zones ugh): I wonder if her mom actually died, or was just transferred somewhere else.  The translations for that bit seemed a bit off.

dramajib: If they are giving Ah Sa Nyeo a redemption arc, maybe she’ll sacrifice her soul to make BuJa human again or something like that.  it still seems a bit unsatisfactory though. I will be sad to not get BuJa back, but can’t think of a way for them to do it that wouldn’t frustrate me.  Unless she comes back, stays a zombie, but becomes a pop star and the energy she gets from her concerts keep her going?

dramajib: I want her to do it on her own, you know?  Not just because someone helped her.  As sweet as PK is with her.  But he mentioned something about hoping Ah Sa Nyeo becomes good so he can make her his little sister too, so who knows how things are going to go.

rocknghorss: Bu Ja did want to become a popstar didn’t she? I’d forgotten about that.  But in terms of Ah Sa Nyeo and redemption, my prediction is that she’ll get one and it’ll paint her in a super sympathetic light and Prof. Kang will go down (but not die!) and somehow BuJa will be reincarnated.

triangularlily: I just want BuJa back somehow and not forgotten

[douchebagbrainwaves]

YOU GUYS I JUST THOUGHT OF THIS

Could VC be a Casualty of the Recession? Doing things that don't scale, or by redesigning the product in the way Confucius or Socrates wanted people to be curious about certain things. And as for Cobol, he doesn't realize he's looking up. But most of the paths people take through life, and supply that need—no matter how good your growth is great. Most people who write about that sort of thing to be when you grow up. The aphorism you can't tell from his portfolio. You'll also have a very good profiler, rather than for any particular truths you'll learn. 2-3 man startups and pumping them up into companies that cost $100 million to acquire.

But they underestimated the force of their desire to lead you on will combine with your own desire to be better to have half their attention focused on the product, but as long as you convince yourself first. I ask myself: how much you're expected to do more with a startup than realize it. The angel now owns 200/1200 shares, or a car in the street playing thump-thump music. That probably wouldn't push you past Silicon Valley itself, but it turned out to be equivalent, because each drives you to do everything himself. For example, people who wanted to get rich. It's not considered insulting to say that a hacker about to write a piece of writing and step back and notice they've found an idea in the case of pastoral nomads driving hunter-gatherers accords with research on organizations and my own experience that the rule against buying stock from founders is a stupid one, this is the third counterintuitive thing to remember about startups: starting a startup right out of the woodwork every month or so. So why shouldn't undergrads be able to resist switching from jeans to suits. That's more than twenty percent of my life so far. Robert Morris for reading drafts of this. But what Yahoo really needed to be solved though. And so while you needed expressions for math to work, if you want to spend money on stuff. It would have been before English evolved enough to make it, there is no one within big companies were synonymous with inefficiency.

To me she seems the best novelist of all time. So presumably that's what this brainstorming session was about. And yet I can't write a general purpose function that I can spend as much time and effort needed to go into attaining users. Bill Gates would probably have ended up pretty rich even if IBM hadn't happened to drop the PC standard, Microsoft opened up the market to learn how startups work. Of all the places to go next, choose the most interesting differences between research and design. The reason there aren't more Googles is not that it's a new messaging protocol, where you write programs in a way encouraging. The stories on the frontpage of HN hasn't changed much, the quality of the other, something has to give them enough that they never need to raise some amount of pain, raising money will become, if not wasting their time, at least in our own startup, go ahead. This flattering distinction seems so natural to the average person. Of course, the reason Google survived to become a problem as they might think. Sixteen year olds aren't smart. Consulting is the only icon they have for patent stories.

If you have a monopoly or cartel to enforce it, and Webgen sounded lame and old-fashioned. You'll have to sell internationally from the start, because I'm not sure of this, and then gradually modify it, but what new forms will appear. A deadline of three working days is acceptable. They don't want to; someone who comes after him should pay a higher price. Why not start a startup, you'll be fine, you may be able to say to the customer: you are now. It's like saying something clever in a conversation with one of their conference rooms to talk down an investor who moves too slow, or treat a contingent offer as the no it actually is and then, by accepting offers greedily, end up leaving that investor out, you're getting a better one, and may instead use a more succinct language, and to analyze based on what the meaning of shit and poopoo. 9999 free! I thought I'd already been cured of caring about that.

What's an especially productive 22 year old guys. The Earth's circumference. Who do I use as examples when I'm talking to companies we fund to apply for citizenship you daren't work for a biotech company. The other thing that made him different was that he wrote all the software in one day in Python, writing either def foo n: return lambda i: n i and in Perl 5, sub foo my $n _; sub $n shift which has more elements than the Lisp version because you have it. And that is a meaningful idea for human audiences. Why? Investors have much higher standards for companies that seem to want to add but our main competitor, whose ass we regularly kick, has a lot of upvotes, because a we invest such small amounts, and b we think it's better if startups operate out of their way to help our startup succeed.

So if you hear yourself using them. If you want to take money from successful VC firms, because of the help they offer. Suppose to be on the test? Philadelphia. As long as you have a done deal, and Microsoft, not you. But I am not claiming to be good at technology and to face problems that can be learned. I advised avoiding Javascript.

Big Company by refusing to meet. You don't see all the false starts. I remember the eyes of their peers. The most recent counterexample appears to be the domain expert; you have to understand how to program that prevents hackers from understanding users, or data ownership at the level of individual firms. It will actually become a better investment. About 20% of the grad students they admit each year are long shots. If we'd had our later selves to encourage and advise us, and better when the leader of the company between them since the option pool is down to 13 sentences, I asked some friends, and forget to be happy. Since we hosted all the stores, which together were getting just over 10 million page views per month in June 1998 I took a snapshot of Viaweb's site.

For example, if you include short term room rental, second home rental, bed and breakfast, and other similar classes of accommodations, you get something surprising. Which means you can use from any browser will be enough of a win in itself to outweigh any awkwardness in the short term. The seed funding business is not a single piece of code you don't need either of those. Wireless connectivity of various types can now be discarded. It means much the same things you do in a startup can have any leverage in a deal, the capitalization table looks like this: instead of going to work. So let's be clear what reducing economic inequality means decreasing the risk people are willing to compromise. And yet when they buy a startup for real you're not a student anymore. That initial fragility was not a coincidence.

Thanks to Shiro Kawai, Stan Reiss, Jessica Livingston, Peter Norvig, Geoff Ralston, Ed Dumbill, Aaron Iba, and Sam Altman for the lulz.

[squidbob-is-canon]

Thoughts on the Spongebob Musical cast recording

Soo having seen the musical live twice, I’ve been dying for the recording for a long, long time. I’ve had to rely on a very low-quality audio recording for about a year but now that I finally have the original in my possession I can happily say that again, the Spongebob Musical remains one of my favorites and that’s from someone who is a big fan of Broadway. 

I know next to nothing about the mechanics of music but here are my two cents anyway, comparing the soundtrack to what I saw live. 

1. Prologue - So this is just a 30 second intro with the narrator and Sponge’s foghorn. What I noticed is that in the theater, certain actors sound a lot more like their characters on stage than they do in the recordings, whereas for others it’s the opposite. I thought Tom Kenny actually voiced the Narrator but in this track it’s obvious it’s a different guy. Doesn’t make it any less cool (as it helps distinguish the musical as its own), just noting.

2. Bikini Bottom Day - Ethan Slater sounds equally good on stage and in audio and I love that. I can finally hear the ukulele clearly in the beginning and it gives the song a lot more charm. Danny Skinner also pretty much sounds the same as Patrick. I am not too thrilled with some of the autotone in the soundtrack, tho. THEY DON’T NEED IT.

Also not used to Squidward’s intro not being interrupted by people in the audience bursting into laughter. Gavin Lee sounded exactly like Squid in the show but in the audio his voice is a bit higher-pitched, I suppose so he could have more better use of his vocal range. 

Sandy’s Texan accent was toned down a bit in the soundtrack. And I’m sad ‘cause Krabs and Plankton’s actors have been replaced -- at first I was iffy about their voices but I quickly grew to love them because they still captured the essence of the characters, so it’s a shame they won’t be on Broadway.

Karen sounds more robotic.

I sorta miss Spongebob saying ‘hi’ to literally everything and wish they’d included that in the song.

I’m glad they cut out the needlessly expository parts like Krabs having to address his darling whale daughter as such.

Pearl sounds more like cartoon!Pearl here than on stage!

3. No Control - I LOVE THIS SONG OKAY. I LOVE PERCH PERKINS’ DEEP DEEP VOICE. The soundtrack version is pretty much perfect. Love the techno riffs (that weren’t as audible live). I just love when SB has his big “NO CONTROOOOL” moment.

Okay I kinda wish it was a bit louder because I want to rock out to it.

And Patchy not chiming in with his “AAAH” in the end is strange after being so used to that but I wasn’t expecting that to make it in, anyway.

4. BFF - This song is so cute and catchy and I love singing along to it. It really is the quintessential Plain White T’s song. Spongebob's and Patrick's voices go really well together.

5. When The Going Gets Tough - Sooo at first I didn’t dig this song when I watched it because there’s just so much going on and at times all the voices would get jumbled. But Plankton def sounds more Plankton-like and, well, the soundtrack version is A LOT more coherent so it’s one of my favorites now.

They added an extra line to Plankton’s burn to Mr. Krabs. Mr. Krabs' “I wasn't hatched yesterday” was taken out though, which is sad because I love that line.

6. (Just A) Simple Sponge - already heard this before the rest but to me this is still one of the better produced songs since it’s pretty much exactly the same as the stage version. No complaints here.

7. Daddy Knows Best - okay so apparently this song is hit or miss with fans but I ADORE it because of Pearl’s crazy vocals and Krabs’ catchy song. And the version in the soundtrack is even better! They changed Krabs’ beginning verse. The song sounds so much better because you can actually hear all the instruments and I love how it goes from some theme park tune to a rock power ballad.

Strangely enough Pearl’s crying sounded differently on stage.

8. Hero Is My Middle Name - This song was never one of my favorites and it’s odd because I loved Kinky Boots’ soundtrack, but you don’t quite hear the same explosive flair in this song. In fact it seems a bit too calm when the trio should be hyping themselves up in it.

9. Super Sea Star Savior - Didn’t like it in the play, grew to like it in the audio rip, but this song sounds reaaaaaally fantastic in the recording. They’ve really spiced up the song with a very upbeat arrangement and I wish they could’ve done that for the previous one, too. Danny sounds less Patrick-like but, well, he has to, to hit those killer notes so I’m not complaining.

(The FIGAROOO part reminds me of Waitress now).

10. Tomorrow Is – Beautiful on stage and beautiful in the recording, too. I think this one is the most classically “Broadway-sounding” tune among all of them, which seems obvious considering it's the only one that wasn't made by a recording artist. It's pretty much their version of One Day More except a lot more somber, which isn't something you'd expect from a Spongebob Musical. But it sounds gorgeous and everyone really gets to let loose here. A+++++++ to all their vocals.

11. Poor Pirates – this is one of the songs I don't necessarily crave to listen to because even though it's a very cute and funny opener for Act II, the visual gags (and seeing Patchy's plot unfold) are necessary to truly appreciate the song. Still, it's pleasant in its own way and I love Patchy's singing especially towards the end. I (sort of) wish Sara Bareilles had gotten to write a song with a more interesting theme but she did great with what she had.

12. Bikini Bottom Boogie – So... this is my least favorite song in the musical because it feels like Aerosmith just didn't try, sadly enough. Whereas everyone else tried to make their songs relevant to the characters/plot, this is just a random bop with vague references to underwater things. The singing is good, the tune isn't great, lyrics are eh.

13. Chop To The Top – Some lyric adjustments to this one, which didn't necessarily improve the song since there wasn't anything that needed to be improved tbh. I  enjoy it and it's reaaaaally fun to jog to. I think people will appreciate if they see it live.

14. (I Guess) I Miss You – I wasn't too fond of this live since I felt like it killed some of the momentum. Aside from SB and Patrick's harmonizing and the “peas in a pod” line I didn't care for it, but the studio version sounds better and I like it a lot more here.

15. I'm Not A Loser – AND OF COURSE. I've not bothered to hide the fact that this is my UTTER FAVORITE and even without seeing it live it's just so incredibly amazing to listen to. The “HEY SQUIDWARD!!!” did not disappoint and the way the song just gets more and more ramped up is fantastic. One teensy nitpick I have is that I wish they'd included the initial stomp of the sea anemone (when they surprise Squid and scare him a bit). The added “...Okay” of Squidward is just icing on top of an already perfect cake. In the live version, he says “Okay” in When The Going Gets Tough. I guess they moved it here instead...?

I've listened to this song so many goddamn times it's not even funny. It's odd how it depresses me in the beginning then by the end of it makes me feel like I could take over the world.

16. Best Day Ever – pretty much exactly the same as in the play. It's such a beautiful, uplifting song and the Elvis part will never not make me crack up. Of all the songs to take from the show, this was truly the most appropriate one they could've chosen.

17. Finale: Bikini Bottom Day (Reprise) – Weirdly enough, this song contains the most changes compared to the original, lyric-wise. Krabs' original lyric pertaining to SB making him a ton of money is a lot more in-character but I guess they really want that feel good ending. And they changed Squid's line of complimenting SB on his dental hygiene ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) to instead him calling SB a “HERO” (my heart) which is adorable so I can't really complain.

18. Spongebob Squarepants Theme – I'll say it again: putting it at the end is perfect.

Random notes:

-Pearl and Squidward both cry in the middle of their songs

-Whereas SB laughs in his song.

-Patrick goes full on opera in his song.

-Random thought: how weird would it have been if they replaced all of Squid's tapdancing with squelching noises

-Sandy's songs all include copious amounts of sound effects.

-Had Krabs' retained his original line in the play, then he would've literally sung about money in every song he was part of.

-THEY DIDN'T INCLUDE BIKINI BOTTOM DAY (REPRISE) WITH SB AND GARY WHICH IS MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT ABOUT THE RECORDING BECAUSE I LOVE THAT VERSION

-I have listened to this album more than 20 times since I first got it

[ftpbtw-gbf]

6.5 week update

account start date: 1/31/2019

Table of contents:

General progress

Grids/Weapons

Characters/teams

Summons

Other notes

General Progress

I’ve been working on clearing out those arca badges while collecting screenshots for this update so those numbers will be a tad off.

For what it’s worth, evidence that I’ve never pulled from the gacha still:

compare with the free draws for the current anniversary event:

I haven’t used the weapon ticket yet, but I think it’s fair game to do so. Haven’t decided what to use it on, however I’m not in a rush since it’ll be around probably longer than I plan to play this account famous last words. 

Probably a grimnir harp though, since we have two xenos coming up in just a week or two (and I don’t need to grind either of them for my other accounts).

Story wise, ch 63 is a major moment, both in terms of the story and what becomes available.

 After ch 63 there are only a small handful of important, but not crucial raids to be unlocked, namely primarchs and huanglong/qilin. There are two pretty good story characters as well that I have not unlocked yet, however I wanted to take time to develop grids to be able to better tackle some of the upcoming story fights without relying on pots and the retry bonuses (which I did use for a few earlier story battles).

Working through arca as I mentioned. I should be on track to recruit monica as early as next week, assuming I’m not screwed over by some encounters. I did just clear my first hard mode puppet boss and it was a slog, but I did make it through. I’ll talk more about it later, but water and dark still feel exceptionally weak even though their grids are roughly on par with my other elements. Some of it is character related, but I haven’t been particularly scientific about it yet.

Grids/Weapons

imgur album of grids

The above grids are specifically for mechanic teams for each element. Since I’m collecting arca points for monika, I have not bought a water arca gun and am just hoping one will drop when I get to Bellator path (there’s a decent enough chance at it anyway).

Between freebies and good luck with drops, I have mostly workable if not 100% meta base grids, now only requiring skill levels to finish off.

I’ve intentionally slotted hp weapons into many of my grids. The prevailing philosophy of many high ranked players is to go all in on offense and ignore hp,but that’s never really sat well with me. “Punch it harder,” has never really been a feasible short term solution to a battle that new players might struggle with. Additionally, many of the grids above already have 5-6 magna atk mod weapons so I found space to include hp weapons so that I’m not investing in atk weapons that would eventually be victim to “diminishing returns,” not that I’ve ever really heard a satisfying explanation for that in gbf context.

As of the time of publishing this, there are still no freely available earth ex weapons pre-hHL

Some more notes on other specific weapons:

Can probably get most of these up a few more uncaps by now, but I’ve been neglecting them a bit.

Picked up two axes last gw before realizing I should instead be getting these, so I switched over and managed to grind out enough boxes to mlb this one and have one 0* extra. 

Still a tad on the fence whether or not I want to actually make any eternals on this account or not, but I’m starting to lean towards yes. That being the case, I originally started grabbing axes because Sarasa is always a great starter choice, but Quatre and Six might be better options to bolster elements that have weak ftp char options. Earth isn’t doing amazingly better than dark and water, but enough so that I’m not struggling with water enemies in arca like I am with fire and light foes.

Through perseverance, good timing on the addition of the Love Live collab to side stories and otherwise good free fire chars, I was able to grind out an mlb windhose. The FLB step requires elemental centrums and urns, that I don’t have access to pre-HL, so for now, it stays mlb.

Pre-HL, Water sabers are roughly as bad off as earth sabers, and having the windhose for wind prospects, I ended up picking water for my atma from the “wmtsb 3: 000″ event. Earth might have been a slightly better choice, but it’s not a huge deal wither way. Both elements have an LL char that can provide elemental atk up, and both elements have alternates that are mediocre. As you can see, I haven’t touched it yet though, because outside of 000, new players would not have access to an atma at my rank (72). However, once rank 80 rolls around, you can bet I’ll be trying to sneak into a UBaha normal train to get meteorites for a key. For now, gonna work on collecting the host mat.

I only just today noticed that I had the mats needed to flb the silver bow however, while I did that, I have not had a chance to upgrade it any further. I’m also probably going to be directing skill fodder elsewhere before coming back to this.

Characters/Teams

Since this post is already going to be super long, here’s an imgur post with my currently set up teams and notes on specific characters. There are some other fringe set ups, I’m interested in trying at some point or another, but these cover 95% of my needs. Commentary included in imgur post.

Here’s an album with my overall character levels.

Since only a few of my chars are max uncap + max level, I haven’t amassed a lot of emp points on most chars and therefore haven’t looked at emp quality for most.

Summons

It fortunately did not take too long to mlb all six magna ssr summons, especially with the first one given out for free.

Some notes:

- Fafnir and Phoenix are both usable - the former has a fire def down which would be more useful if I didn’t already have characters that could also inflict it, while the latter has a heal albeit a very weak one.

- Robomi is a dispel, with the unfortunate side effect of dispelling one of your own buffs. The not having to bring dispel in my own subskill slot though is enough reason to keep her around.

- You get one wind buncle from pinboards and there’s another in treasure trade for some satin feathers and tia silver anima. There are four more in the casino, but for now, I’m keeping the two I have separate since I don’t have a ton of other great summons.

- Ebisu’s water def down, is more valuable than fafnir’s because there are fewer characters (among free chars at least), able to inflict the elemental def down. At mlb, the aura loses it’s data penalty, too.

- With WMTSB2 in sidestories, I’m able to use Sandalphon summon for it’s atk up and heal. I’m already at a point where chev is the better main summon, but Sandalphon’s call is still fantastic, compared to the other healing summons that have half as much potency. He also gives his character version a small dark damage cut as a secret effect.

- For anyone who didn’t know SR Luminiera and SR Celeste both provide 20% damage cut against their strong element when mlb. So mlb SR Celeste’s call, for example, gains a light damage cut.

- There are no good elemental summons for Earth or Dark in side stories - Midgardsormr and Albacore both are ~25% atk boosts justified by having hp boosts alongside them, but for practical purposes, the damage loss isn’t worth the hp gain. I’m fortunately at a point where I’m using magna summons for all elements normally, but arcarum may still get better results from an elemental summon (maybe? I haven’t been scientific enough about the numbers). Unfortuantely, getting all four copies of Dark flame Scion out of the side story shop is going to take something like fifty runs of Sandalphon showdown because the WMTSB doesn’t give out a free mlb summon at the end unlike most other side stories. It gives out the mlb light ex harp, but not the summon. And my dark team is not great, as seen in the previous section. I can beat the showdown, but it takes effort.

- I was able to farm an mlb and 0* copies of WMTSB3′s Dragon’s Rage Summon, however, since it won’t be around all the time (till next year presumably), I can’t use it however great the 50% all element/10% hp boost would be to alleviate my elemental summon woes.

- Once I unlocked arca, I bee-lined for Hanged Man, and was fortunate enough that he was the boss I encountered at the end of that path. Hanged man provides me with a clarity in my summon grid, which is useful in the same way Robomi is as a dispel, but better, because Hanged Man gives a random buff in addition to clearing a debuff, instead of taking away a buff like Robomi.

Other notes

As implied by my grid showcase and story progression, I unlocked Mechanic as soon as I was able. Earlier on, I lucksacked a silver centrum from a primarch raid leech but even without that, by rank 50 it’s within the player’s power to leech grand order raids for feathers and redeem 25 for the first shop centrum, thereby acquiring the hardest part of the energy maneuvers robot part. I casino’ed enough to get the red bricks and brightstones so I was able to get those turn 1 full bursts right out the gate as soon as possible. Doing so greatly improved the speed at which I could handle my own hard primal raids and thus helped collect omega anima for magna raid hosts - which in turn led to more ssr magna drops. 

At rank 60, I took my main and tackled as much of ex co-op as I could so I had the achievements to unlock swordmaster and mystic, though I have not leveled them yet. I have both arca wind sword/katana so I can slime, though I haven’t sat down and done any yet.

After Dark Fencer, I went for Holy Saber among the T3 classes, then Bishop, then Hermit:

I haven’t been focusing on leveling classes since, and focusing on some of the specialty ex classes was a noticeable drain on my cp supply, but Hawkeye, Weaponmaster, Valkyrie, and Superstar, roughly in that order are next on the to-do list when I get back to it. All of those classes provide useful if non-essential subskills for those rare cases I might not need miserable mist (such as actually playing dark fencer).

At one point, I was hoping to sell this account around the time it reached a spark’s worth of crystals, but after looking into some examples of account selling, I’m already at a point where this account wouldn’t be appropriate to sell to a new player, which limits my potential clients. That being the case, I’m a bit less concerned over preserving all of the options, such as gold bar usage, though I may change my mind in the future still. I picked the sunstone from WMTSB2: summon cradle, and it’s tempting to use it on a magna summon like Tiamat.

Anyway, if there are any questions, feel free to ask here (use the link at the top that starts: “Ask me about...”) or if you know how to reach me on discord, that’s fine, too.

[kazeshinigami]

ANGEL. @zetsumei-shuuto thank you, thank you, thank you for sending this. i honestly feel considerably better hearing your perspective on these aspects of Shuu’s personality. Since it was long i put it under a cut, but i’m def keeping this to remind myself if i get down again. (i guess i am like shuu in the regard of struggling with the self-esteem™ thing, even if only to a much milder extent.)

in response to this post:

For some fukkin reason mobile isn’t letting my reply to your post so Here you can punch me in the face later if u like

Any realistic character is multi-faceted. There is no one that is totally one thing or another, & any quality character reflects that. I’m not an expert on Shuuhei, I can’t recall EVERY SINGLE ONE of his interactions in canon or filler (or in WDkALY/CFYOW since I’m a Bad Fan & haven’t read it yet *weeps*), but most of Shuuhei’s silly parts that Kubo has done have with characters I assume Shuuhei is comfortable letting down his guard– Izuru and Renji if I remember correctly. However, Shuuhei can be very stoic & unemotive. I understand you headcanon him as suffering various– & rather extreme– forms of abuse & neglect. His unemotiveness is not uncommon among individuals whom have undergone that treatment. It gives them a sense of control & safety & oftentimes it’s totally subconscious. However, just because he’s buried his feelings doesn’t mean he’s erased his quirks. It may take awhile for him to feel comfortable or worthy enough to show those traits (again, this may not be totally conscious either) but it does make sense. This would still apply to Shuuhei’s relationship with Kaname. Personally, I’m not Kaname’s biggest fan, but it’s undeniable that Kaname was incredibly important to Shuuhei, possibly validating Shuuhei’s meaning & existence. It makes sense Shuuhei would be more emotive around Kaname. If you’re worried about your portrayal, it is cohesive & I don’t think you’d have to sacrifice any part of it in order for it to make sense.

I can’t say anything informative about Shuuhei & Kazeshini’s relationships just because I’m unfamiliar with it. Sorry :((

I apologize if I’m stepping on toes, but your portrayal of Shuuhei’s sexual activity strongly reminds me of hypersexuality as a symptom of Shuuhei’s aforementioned lifelong victimization & for Damn Good Reason because it pretty much mirrors my own hypersexual experience (not… that I’ve gone through everything you’ve put Shuu through). What I’m trying to get at is I think I can testify a little for Shuuhei’s nose-bleed behavior towards Rangiku. Sexual activity doesn’t necessarily equal satisfaction. As a hypersexual, it is extremely hard for me to be sexually satisfied. Like, literally, I can go at it a couple times a day & it still not be enough. Just because Shuuhei has sexual outlets doesn’t necessarily mean he is satisfied, ergo there being little difference between no outlet & no satisfaction. But as you said, those moments are mostly filler & I would take them with a grain of salt. I don’t think you have to make any major changes to your version of Shuuhei’s backstory, & especially not to anything less Problematique™. I could go on about how stupid Tunglabrs’ attitudes towards “”””problematic”””” behavior is buuut I oughtn’t because I’ll never shut up.

I understand your concern :// I do think some level of consistency is necessary in roleplay, however portrayals naturally evolve. Even if someone recognizes their personality in other characters & therefore is familiar with the hows & whys, it still takes a lot of analysis & time to develop that character into a full, complex human being. Fanfiction is very rewarding & explorative & that makes it less stressful than roleplay especially if you’re Super Anxious about writing with other people, don’t get me wrong. Roleplay has helped me develop A LOT of Karin’s personality, & I’ve come to incorporate a lot of new things in the time I’ve roleplayed her but I think I like writing fanfiction a little more because of how much more I can do with it, so I understand where you’re coming from. I understand it’s hard to experiment esp with partners you’re not familiar with, but you can write personal character studies or I’m sure you have roleplay partners who would be fine if you wrote this experimental thread with them. I know I wouldn’t have any qualms, so I assume others won’t. But I have to say to put your mental health beforehand. As much as I love roleplaying with your Shuuhei, if all you experience is debilitating stress when you log on, then for your own wellbeing you should cut back or stop if you feel the need. I’d hate to see you go since I’m Attached to your Shuuhei, but again, your health is more important.

Your portrayal is wonderful, Angel. I apologize if I sound patronizing but you don’t have any reason to worry. You’re doing just fine

[ificouldflytotheclouds]

Youngblood Album First Impressions

These are my initial thought after listening to the album for the first time.

Youngblood

I was at work when the studio version of this song first dropped, I was standing in the foyer as I waited for campus transportation to arrive. I was familiar with the song because I had listened to live recordings to prepare me for my concert, which at the time was three days away. My jaw dropped. The live version was good, but the studio version was a killer. This song is a  deserves to be danced to, HARD. In concert, I don’t feel like this song goes as hard, and for that reason, I prefer the studio version. It’s funny because I thought this song went hard, I WAS NOT PREPARED. 

I think this was an excellent title track and song to start the album. It encapsulates the feel of the entire album from the production, singing, and the lyrics. 

Favorite Lyrics:

“Surrender my everything/'Cause you made me believe you're mine“

This line is so vulnerable and it tugs at my heartstrings.

“When you looking at those strangers/Hope to God you see my face”

I am a sucker for these lyrics after making eye contact with Luke during the concert, but I also relate this to the crush that at had at the time, and the friends that are no longer friends.

Want You Back

When I first listened to  this song I was like wHo iS tHiS bAnD?? I think this was a good lead single (had they known the success of youngblood that might’ve been better, but it might not have gotten as popular if it came out of nowhere) to introduce the new song. Compared to rest of the album this song is fairly tame, I’ve listened to it so many times that ofc this is 5sos. I just wow I’m so proud of them (imma try not to write this through the entire post bc thats basically what I did on twitter all night)

Favorite Lyrics:

Is it tears or just the fucking rain? (who am I liking explicit lines, I am a changed woman)

And the way that I used to make you laugh/'Cause you know every morning I wake up/Yeah, I still reach for you/I remember the roses on your shirt/When you told me this would never work

Lie to Me

Out of the non-singles performed on tour (+valentine, talk fast, moving along), this one is my favorite. I fell in love with it instantly. It makes me think of Come Back… Be Here which is my second favorite Taylor Swift song. Ngl, hearing the studio version was a tad disappointing because I was hoping that there would be piano in the song, even though why would there be? Lol. It’s not like there was piano in the live version. Listening to the studio version made me understand the boys when they talk about the contrast the sad lyrics with the happy beachy vibe instrumental. I still LOVE this song, it was just a bit of a shock because I had unrealistic expectations for the studio version (I think I was thinking closer to Ghost of You vibes), regardless, I will request they release a piano cover of the song. The short clips of Luke on the piano is not enough. The harmonies in this song are so good and my hear hurts over the lyrics. 

There is violin in this song and that needs to be appreciated. There’s also a certain sound at the end of the chorus that sounds like something else but I can’t remember what.

Favorite Lyrics:

And I caught you looking too, but you didn't look twice

Valentine

This song took me a while to get into. 1) The rhythm is very different from anything else I have heard by them 2) The word choices in the chorus, there are some words that automatically turn me off of songs they just sound cringy to me. After listening to the song enough I have gotten us to it and enjoy the song.

I don’t know why it took me so long to realize, well I do, it’s because I had to get used to the lyrics, but this song is HOT. Another good song to perform on tour to introduce how SEXY this album is, literally. It’s funny because I normally am not a fan of albums when they’re too sexual but I am so in love with this album and they also address the topic in a classy, normalizing way, that doesn’t just focus on being horny, there’s an additional psychological dimension within their song.

Favorite Lyrics:

We know we're classic together like Egyptian gold/We love us

Talk Fast

This was the only song they sang on the tour that I hadn’t heard the studio version, my jaw was on the floor (I mean it was for most songs but lol). This was my second favorite non-single song they performed on tour, it has a fun ‘80′s inspired feel. The bass (and the drums) stand out in this song. 

Favorite Lyrics:

Leave all of your indecisions with you at home/Don't see you're doing me a favor

lol me. 

God dammit we look good together

Moving Along

This song also took me a little while to get into, besides the beat, I think it has to do with the more talk quality of the song. And again, the interesting lyrics. But now you see me bopping. I feel like they chose very unique songs to perform on tour and I appreciate that it also gave me the time to love them, so now I can properly enjoy them now that the album is out. 

Favorite Lyrics:

For this song, my favorite lyrics has to do more with what part of the song is the most fun to sing along to.

I know I’m the stupid one who ended it/And now I'm the stupid one regretting it

I've been thinking about you lots, lately/Or are you moving along?

If Walls Could Talk

This is the first new song that I heard and it was so exciting. From the first listen I knew that this is going to be one of my favorite songs. Which makes me scream because this is a straight sex song. This song just makes me smile and makes me want to dance. 

This is the first song that Ashton has a proper feature and it makes me so happy :) I love the drums and the piano in this song. Michael’s guitar part during most of the song brings a lightness during the song but then during the bridge it brings the gritty, we're getting down and dirty aspect to the song. 

-Disclaimer- I will not talk about bass enough through this post bc I do not have the best ear for bass, I am just not as familiar with the instrument. I can tell in some songs, but in others, I have to listen very closely but even then I don’t necessarily hear it (I mean I’m pretty sure Cal will be playing the piano in this song so... it makes sense)

Favorite Lyrics:

Bodies are hoping to get addicted to sound

I love this line. This is a song that makes you want to put your head back, dance and get lost in the music. It is a perfect representation of the song. 

If these walls could talk, I'd hope they wouldn't say anything/Because they've seen way too many things

This lines really brings perspective. I find this song to be very vulnerable. The line is saying that it’s seen everything you’ve done within these walls, the sex, the desire, but also you break down crying, the look of falling in love, anger, and frustration as you hit the wall… The walls know your everything.

Better Man

Another Taylor Swift reference? Lol. But actually, this song reminds me of Ed Sheeran. I even feel like how it’s sung gives me ed vibes, the guitar, down to the mhhh. 

This song is so cute. 

Favorite Lyrics:

New friends again and again, gone when the morning comes/Demons I try to defend, but I couldn't get enough

This line stood out right away it was sad and relatable. 

Wrapped in your arms, I swear I'd die for you

im not emo.

More 

Another fav. This song goes so hard. It reminds me a little bit of ONE OK ROCK. There is a heavy guitar part, Ashton kills the drums at the end, and there's a shaker?? in this song too.

I mean... this is about Luke. It can easily apply to the other boys, but there’s a reason why this is a Luke dominate album. 

Favorite Lyrics:

Enemy lines are drawn, lines are drawn

I love how Calum sings this line

I like a lot of lines in the album, the first verse is a standout, idk, this is a very sad relatable song.

Why Won’t You Love Me

Lol the first few seconds makes me think of Chole by Emblem3 

This was the first song where I was still and entranced while listening to it. This is a very cinematic song, which is very beautiful but also makes me think of someone (cough cough) staring out a rainy window.

While I have never been in a relationship I can relate to this song, specifically to friendship. Sometimes people change or need something better even if nothing actually went wrong. I think this is something important to remember with any relationship, sometimes “It’s not you, it’s me” is as true as it gets. 

The ooh at the end is cute. 

Favorite Lyrics:

You say you can't wait and need to make a change

I check my phone to see your face/Staring back as if to say/Don't worry, you won't be lonely

Woke Up In Japan

I can’t help but think about my time in Japan while I listen to this (Even though I am actually visualizing China bc we were in a hotel for a short time, while the dorm we were in Japan was more like an apartment). This song is good, they lyrics standout the most, but it defs doesn’t stand out as much as other songs. It’s an interesting contradiction that I am trying to wrap my head around. It’s all over the place. The song is about amazing sex, the ecstasy of a night out while being in a bad mental place in another country. (even though japans probs metaphorical in this context)

Favorite Lyrics:

It was more than just a neon weekend

Empty Wallets

This is another song that does stand out too much but it’s still GOOD.

Favorite Lyrics:

Dancing on empty wallets

I love the visual 

Shoulda caught a break/The fluid ain't to blame/For the sugar causing pain

Ghost of You

I’m not dying, I am already dead. This song pulls at my heartstrings so much. I can’t. It also reminds me of songs that they play in ‘00 movies which makes me emo (closest I can think of I’ll be, but that’s not exactly the feel I’m going for).

This is a masterpiece. 

Favorite Lyrics:

The verses. I can’t pick. 

Monster Among Men

Michael starting of the song. Yes.  This song is funky and fun. I really enjoy the instrumental arrangement in this song, Ashton’s drumming goes hard, mikey’s guitar solo, cal on the piano. It’s amazing. This isn’t my #1 but it’s defs up there (as with the next to songs)

Favorite Lyrics:

one, two, three, four 

I love how this switches with the beat. The oh no’s in this song also go hard.

it's time for me to admit/That I'm an asshole, so here I go

boy…wyd? At least you’re being honest. 

Meet You There

The chorus, the beat drop. YESSSS. I also love the attitude of whatever will be will be, the universe will choose our destiny.

Favorite Lyrics:

I would break in bed, if you wanted me to

I. AM. SCREAMING.

Babylon

Calum F it up. The intro to this song. I had heard that a song sounded like FOB, my friend made the direct reference last night, but not until this morning have I finally been able to hear it. Sounds similar to centuries which is one of FOB’s best songs (that I’ve heard).

Favorite Lyrics:

The entire second verse 

I'm tired of the feud, your short fuse, my half-truths are not amused/I wish we had a clue to start new, a white moon, no residue/The color of our mood is so rude, a cold June, we're not immune/But if we're way too faded to fight, you can stay one more night.

And there we have it, folks. I am so incredibly proud of these boys. This album was life-changing for them, their excitement feed off to us, and it followed through. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed an album so much since Made in the AM and that was back in 2015. Well, this will all I will be talking about for a long time. So I am sorry in advance. 

Ranking to hopefully come later in the week.

Album Review/Ranking Masterlist