#Battle Network 3 White

[yopalonso]

The grandiose experience of Mega Man Battle Network 3

I've decided to use my Tumblr account to do small reviews of the games I've played from start to finish throughout a year. Since Battle Network 3 (henceforth, BN3) was the first I finished in 2023, it felt fitting to start with it.

The last game I played of this series was, technically, last year, with the great translation of EXE Operate Shooting Star. Since I've been on a roll with Battle Network, I guess I can also spoil the beans in the fact I've already beaten the original BN through the Legacy Collection. For the sake of this release, I beat it on my GBA.

Hands down, jumping from several different BN games, I legitimately saw several changes as the series evolved, but none as great as BN2 to BN3. Navi Customizer, new Styles, Variable Sword's absolute shattering commands, StepCross?! Counter kills! You ever seen something as satisfying as hearing that sweet jingle as you deal the finishing blow to a powerful enemy?! It's what dreams are made of, I tell you.

And the story, oh my god. Tension, moments of joy, of sadness, of wonder. BN3 delivers in one of the series' best stories, hands down.

I know that I'm still missing a lot in it. Hell, I haven't found the whole ordeal of chips I'm still missing, or went through the process of rematching the bosses. But just knowing what awaits on the other side is enough to make me go find the other stars, I tell you. BN3's exquisite blend of gameplay, story and music (composed entirely by Yoshino Aoki of Breath of Fire IV fame) are phenomenal.

I did great in starting off the year with BN3. A game like this that holds up this good? It truly lives up to its status as "grandiose".

[deliaesymbols]

Mega Man Battle Network 3 Plug-In PET!

[cochineal-leviat]

Sweet Dreams, Stardust

Okay, so I have a lot of feelings about In Stars and Time. But let me say first, wow, this game irreversibly changed my brain network. For anyone who is considering buying this game, please do. I don't think I've had a story touch my heart and mind like this for a long time. And that goes without mentioning the stunning visuals and entertaining battle system. (Be careful, though, because this game handles heavy topics regarding mental health)

If you're still hung up on buying it but are curious, there is a free demo on Steam if you like to try.

Thank you, @insertdisc5, for this gem of a game. I will be turning it around in my head like a microwaveable gourmet meal for months to come.

Technically the illustration has no spoilers (unless you count Siffrin having a good nap as a spoiler). But I will be going into heavy spoiler territory under the keep reading since I need to get my thoughts on this game off my chest.

And a monochrome version because you know me, I can't help myself. Even in black and white art pieces, I will put in some colour.

And a very tiny Loop

Initially, I was going to do a piece with a theatre stage and the cast (Siffrin, Mirabelle, Isabeau, Odile, Bonnie and the head house maiden) taking a bow and finally leaving the spectacle to a life not controlled by a script and Wish Craft. But it was more fitting to put my feelings into creating a peaceful scene. Like, oof, I needed this very badly. I used sepia to make the painting warmer and added some more details like headcanons. The stars/colours might be remnants of Siffrin's transformation. Or maybe they were always there, but he never paid attention to it. Who knows.

I'm going to keep this brief. Otherwise, this post will take way too long.

I adore Siff's character. It's perfect for a game and narrative such as this. I saw a post not long ago on Tumblr going into depth about how their role as the rogue and not the hero works so well, so I won't linger on it for long. But how they would rather listen and fade into the background perfectly aligns with the player's experience of being the silent observer. (And the nodding off that changes into zoning out. It took me way too long to realise that small but essential narrative change) Oh, and the portrait change! It flew over my head until I was staring at the game menu. I was so confident Siffrin had a mischievous grin and not a frown. I always feel slightly surprised when the party asks for Siff's opinion or mentions that they have been too quiet. I felt Siffrin's excitement like my own when he got excited at finding clues to end the nightmare they were in. So I knew it would end up falling on their face because they were too excited. I just had this bad gut feeling the whole time during Act 4.

And oh boy, speaking off acts. I thought it would have been the standard 3. Boy, I was wrong. Whenever I felt I was nearing the end, I was thrown back at the start with more mysteries than answers. It made exploring the game intriguing since there is almost no information about it online (at the time of writing this post). There is the Discord, but I didn't know about it until I finished it.

This game has a lot of secrets, and I had a lot of fun uncovering them. The looping mechanic works so well in discovering little details and further leads. (even though my stubborn arse kept trying to do everything in the least amount of loops as possible. I thought the ending would be different if I exceeded a 100. My final number is 59. I am still not sure if I should be mad about it not being a rounded number like 60 or that I went over the 50 threshold)

However, it is a good thing that only some mysteries were solved. Like, what's up with colours in this world? Everyone sees in black and white, and the idea of shades and colours is only spoken of in scientific studies. They do exist and are not a part of the disaster that happened to Siffrin and their land. But there is definitely something mysterious about it. I adore how the dialogue reflects this, as the characters do not speak of shades or colours. Isabeau expresses surprise to see a streak of red colouring the sky in Act 6. It makes you think about how colour is perceived and how you describe it. (The lore inside this game is immaculate. I eat this shit up)

We never find out the name of the country north of Vanguard or what it was like. We can only infer that the beaches had black sand, with shells that shine like stars, high-reaching mountains, forests and plains. Which is vague and yet intriguing enough to make you wonder. It connected me to Siff and King because I also wanted to know. I was desperate to know. I needed to know. But in the end, we never will know because that is not the story's point. Siffrin even says in the game, that King should let go because he is hurting everyone and everything, including himself, in his desperation to preserve Vanguard. This is all the more ironic when Siff accidentally does the same with his family and the loops. I might gush more about what the country might be like and their technology in another post. This game makes me want to theorise. This is the first time I've wanted to write and post theories. ISAT fucked me up good.

Which, by the way, was genius. Siffrin and King are mirrors of each other. Siff does not have King's disastrous ambition, but their love/obsession will be the downfall of both of them. They have more than being each other's countrymen in common, and I imagine Siff despises that.

I love the fact King's question to Siffrin before the showdown was/could never be answered. Usually, in a game such as this, you must figure out how to solve everything, especially for the big bad. But that was never the goal. King is a delusional monster who will not stop before achieving his dream. He will raze everything to the ground and hurt many people because he must succeed. It is what he desires. Nay, the universe wills it. What a witless excuse that can easily be made into someone's truth. Especially to somebody who is driven mad with grief.

How King's character's done is so excellent. Because, at first, I wasn't scared of him at all. He was just the big bad, and I felt nothing much but the glory of victory when Siffrin outsmarted him by looping and making sure Mirabelle learned the shield spell that would protect the party from freezing in time. But each time you fight him, you get more frustrated until Siff figures that talking to him might be fruitful. It does, but unfortunately, you and Siffrin leave yourself emotionally and mentally vulnerable. King stops being a one-dimensional villain and changes into an actual person. Someone you can sympathise with and possibly mend peace with without fighting. You and Siffrin opened his heart for a kindred spirit and got hurt.

King stopped being a monster and became human. And while monsters are wretched, humans have intent behind their cruelty. I felt so betrayed, so angry, but most of all - terrified. I felt it when Siffrin spiralled when fighting King again after their actions caused such a catastrophic turn of events for Bonnie. Every time after that, the fight with King felt tense and nerve-wracking in a dreadful way. Because even victory could not soothe the dread I felt. (The track 'It's finally over" will forever haunt me. I already feel anxious whenever it cycles to that when I listen to the playlist)

He was not, however, the final villain, even though everything that happened was King's fault. You were always your greatest enemy (or Siffrin in this case, since you are supposed to be Siffrin). I never could have guessed that the whole reason why Siffrin could not escape the loops was because Siff accidentally wished to never let go of their friends. This reminds me of Modaka Magica, where (spoilers for the OG anime) Homura goes back in time so much that the universe ties itself around Modoka, making her a waiting egg whose wish and magic will be massive when she becomes a magical girl. The one thing Homura was trying to prevent.

(Siffrin and Homura are identical in that sense. Shy characters who are loyal to a fault but are rendered into something cold, bitter and cutting by their traumatic experiences. Only Siff has people who care about them and would do anything to save him, too, whereas Homura never lets go, making the world a worse place to live in. Yes, I did go into doomed Yuri. That anime lived in my mind rent-free in my mind for years)

The Head House-maiden not being the villain was also a great touch. I am used to the apparent antagonist turning out not to be the big bad and the trusted, friendly character ending up being the evil one. Twist villains no longer work when everyone expects them to be villains.

That was my biggest theory as I played. The second biggest being that Loop is someone who enjoys Siffrin's suffering. I am so glad that was also not the case. They are apathetic but not cruel. Never intentionally, anyway. They were like the player, urging Siffrin to go deeper into the mystery to solve it. Ultimately, I chose and made cold and cruel decisions simply because I wanted to see what would happen. So yeah, I warmed up to this cosmic star thing as the game went on and even started trusting them. Act 5 really is a punch in the gut. I am so sorry, Loop. Thank you for coming through in the end.

Oh man, this is so long, and I haven't even gone into the main cast. I will leave that for another post. They are such great characters, as are the people of Dormant and the House. (Don't think I don't see the wordplay in this game. Very clever)

Going into this game completely blind was the best experience I could have had. I felt anxious, happy and scared so severely that my neurons were rearranged. I don't know if there are more endings (aside from the obvious action of attacking Odile in the True(?) ending of the game), but I am taking a break from it to make art and write for this game before I dive back into despair-o-land.

Anywho, thank you for coming this far and reading my ramblings. Have a fantastic day or evening further! o(*'▽`*)ブ

[gwyngraves]

Laharl used an escape rope!

this clip is from one of my Tuesday streams for Disgaea 1 PC!

today I'll be streaming MegaMan Battle Network 3 White version; we're getting super close to the end of the game. come hang out at twitch.tv/gwyngraves!

[itslenagain]

My thoughts on episodes 1-3 of Netflix ATLA (SPOILERS):

1. Commander Zhao has middle-aged white guy manager energy. I feel like this man is about to lead me in a team-building exercise

2. Aang having his origin story changed irks me! He ran away impulsively in the original show and got stuck in the ice. In this version, he fully monologs to Appa about his fears, but then just leaves for a joyride and gets stuck. It takes away from the significance of Aang leaving in the first place. When Kyoshi berates him for running away, it doesn't feel right because in this version, he didn't really run - he just got stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time

3. The Zuko that stood on an iceberg during a full Moon and challenged Katara to battle would be absolutely enraged at the Zuko that ran from the conflict in Omashu

4. Also, the fact that Zuko has not mentioned honor yet? What the fuck?

5. Seriously, Commander Zhao has a LinkedIn. He's got great networking skills

6. I miss aggro Katara. This version is way more subdued (though we do get a sibling fight in episode 3) and somehow listening to Aang's weird circular philosophy helps her learn how to waterbend and I don't get it

7. Seeing Aang be joyful is a nice change from the movie that shall not be mentioned

8. If Gram-Gram putting the waterbending scroll in Katara's bag replaces the storyline where Katara says fuck cultural looting and steals one I will scream

9. It's interesting to see Azula so early in the story, but I'm bummed we missed out on the whole blackmail thing with her & Ty Lee

10. Do you think Commander Zhao pays his employees a fair wage? Do you think they have health insurance? 401k matching? Vacation time? Sick days? What kind of benefits does his company offer?

11. This version of Sokka is definitely not silly enough

12. I feel robbed that Aang got to transform into a magical girl but we didn't get a magical girl transformation sequence

13. Also, we were robbed of Sokka crossdressing as a Kyoshi warrior and they are so rude for that

14. The graphic murder of the Airbenders felt. Weird? Wrong? I don't think we needed to see that. The impact it had when Aang arrived at the temple to find all of them gone in the original show felt heavier than in this version. We saw what happened, we know they're all dead. As a kid watching ATLA the first time, I remember feeling hopeful for Aang that maybe he wasn't really the last one. We don't get to feel that with this version

15. They did not understand Uncle Iroh at all. His character is so weird. Maybe it gets better???

16. The pacing is weird but maybe that gets better too???

17. I have never related more than when Ozai just burned that Earth nation dude who was about to start monologing, please shut up in my presence

18. Apparently everywhere has names?? Who decided on these names?

19. As a lesbian I also get horny on main immediately for girls who could definitely kick my ass, Sokka was so real for that

20. Overall I think they lean into the idea that the audience for this show is primarily older than the audience for the original (they're not totally wrong!) but I worry about it losing some of the messaging along the way. Part of the beauty of the original ATLA show was tackling these big, complex issues in a way that both kids and adults could relate to and understand. Anyone who knows me knows I also love Bluey for this, along with a few other shows that do it well. Media like ATLA that tackles the ideas of colonization, genocide, war, and so many other important issues is crucial! I hope that these topics are handled just as well as they were in the original series.

Am I going to watch the whole thing? Probably, yeah. Will I enjoy it? I hope so! It's not terrible, but it's also hard to do a show that has so much nostalgia attached to it in a way that will please all viewers.

If you haven't watched it, I think it's worth a shot. Just don't expect it to be an exact retelling of the original story.

[raconteur-multiverse]

🌌 Twisted Wonderland server JP Episode 07 Diasomnia Chapter 03 (3/3)

•After 48 hours (2 days), Ortho return back to Styx headquarters network after he already completed all data program he gather. But he shock see his father slept under the table meeting room and his mother scold him for not listening to her first.

•His parents already create special body AI for Ortho to facing Malleus in Sage Town Island. A prototype "Cerberus Gear" and two android hound Cerberus. It is Idia's first prototype project that he has been keep it all this time in Styx headquarters.

•Ortho data already inside his new form. His mother was solemn that Ortho will deal Malleus by himself in this situation. As his father, saying to Ortho that be careful out there and he is proud of him. His parents hugging him before Ortho left Styx headquarters.

•Silver, MC, and Grim falls from above sky after escape from monster Blot. Unfortunately they still stuck in dreamscape and falls front Diasomnia dorm place.

•Silver says that he did try manage to everyone dreams. If they don't carefully, they'll asleep for eternity. He did found MC and Grim because of white bird with rainbow colours guide him to them.

•It is true that Silver sometimes meet Mickey in his dream. After all, dream is made by person who use imagination what they're desire for. Something that person always dream of that is never come true.

•Grim told MC and Silver that they can't just stand there forever. Never give up until find away to escape from Malleus's dream spells. So, Silver suggest to enter Diasomnia dorm. Could it they're now in someone's dream.

•They're actually in Sebek's dream. A dream on celebrate for Lilia's party. Malleus did greets to MC for coming visit them. MC still not sure about it since MC still remember the real situation of Lilia's Farewell Party.

•Malleus keep assured MC to enjoying their time in Diasomnia dorm. Even Sebek seems didn't realise it that this is a dream. Most caught silver remember is, Lilia didn't join with Malleus on expedition for next class as 4th year students.

•Malleus was growling at Silver for keep denied the dream of being together like old time. But Silver keep saying to Malleus that the real Lilia isn't use magic on farewell party. Causing Sebek against Silver, Grim, and MC by thinking this is real.

•Sebek finally realised that he remember the reality, Malleus furious to Silver for ruining his gift to them causing a big battle between MC, Grim, Silver, and Sebek. Silver knows what Malleus doing but this is going too far. Everything was dark due battle Overblot Malleus, Silver's necklace glowing in the dark as he use unique magic again. Four of them transfer to of dream past of Lilia during war in Thorn Valley.

[tronarchive]

Tron Deadly Discs

Greetings Programs!

Today we'll be taking a look at the first of 3 Mattel video games published the same year as the original Tron movie: Tron: Deadly Discs. Originally released for the Intellivision console, it was also made for the Atari 2600 (under Mattel's M Network label) and the Mattel Aquarius (although this was actually ported in 1983). Each version has different aspects that will be covered in a bullet list down below. 

The Intellivision version was programmed by Don Daglow and Steven Sents. I couldn't find much on Sents unfortunately. Daglow, however, programmed notable games like "Utopia" and "Dungeon" and even went on to found the now defunct studio Stormfront Studios Inc. They were responsible for games such as Neverwind Nights and several Tony La Russa baseball games. The Intellivision version came with the cartridge, an instruction manual, 2 overlays for the controller, and a nifty little flyer with deals for the movie.

As far as I can find, the Atari 2600 came with just a cartridge and an instruction manual. The Aquarius version came with the cartridge, instruction manual, 2 controller overlays, and a keyboard overlay. 

All three games follow the same premise: you play as Tron, locked in the game grid and forced to fight against endless waves of enemies. Intellivision Master managed to get 19 million points, which I believe is the current world record! The enemies will appear through doors around the edge of the arena and you can keep them "jammed" open by throwing your disc at them. You can use said doors to travel to the opposite side of the map if there's a corresponding door. Basic enemies will attack by throwing their own disc; they're not harmful if Tron touches the enemies themselves (an exception would be the Guards in Intellivision and Intellidiscs). You have the ability to recall your disc in mid-fight, but it'll be rendered harmless as it returns.   

During my research I stumbled upon Intellidiscs- a fan conversion of the Intellivision version for the Atari 8-bit/5200. It was published by Phaser Cat Games in May 2021 and programmed by Ryan Whitman, with sounds by Bobby Clark. At the initial release, you could actually purchase a physical cartridge that came in a custom box with an instruction manual and custom controller overlay. Wired-Up Retro has a great unboxing and playing of it. According to the site, this cartridge could be played on North America and NTSC TV sets. Don't worry, you can download the ROM for free from their site as well! This version also features battle mods, where you can battle up to 4 players. The enemies follow the same format as the Intellivision (shown below, just with different names). There are developer diaries if you wish to see some behind the scenes -> here.

What’re your thoughts? Were you able to play it during its glory days?

Here's link for a side by side comparison of gameplay for each version!

Want to try it out? Here you can download a ROM of the Intellivsion or Atari 2600 version, or try the Intellivision version out on archive.org!

Intellivision (review with gameplay)

Distinct enemies, each with own abilities: 

Warriors- light blue, 1 hitpoint 

Leaders- appear after 10,000 points, dark blue, special disks, 1hp, can increase other warriors' skills. Introduces brown (double damage) and white discs (lock-on)

Bulldogs- purple, move slower, 2 hitpoints, less accurate

Guards- orange, white paralyzing sticks to immediately end the game, 4hp, appear after 1 million points

Recognizers: will take out the usable doors in between waves after a certain amount of doors are jammed, 1 touch is instant death, will fire a stun attack to freeze Tron for duration of knocking out doors, can disable it by attacking the "eye" when it turns white causing it to leave at the bottom offscreen. Exclusive to this version. 

3 different speeds for the disc   

To play, you can use both of the controllers- one for disc direction, other to move Tron around. Otherwise the typical controller would be with one controller and the number pad would control the disc direction [insert pic of instruction manual] 

Start out with 3 hitpoints, 1 life, move slower if got hit, restart at each wave

Progression- 20,000: increase HP to 4, 100,000: increase HP to 5 

Warrior point value increases with your score 

Tron is red for some reason 

Features 16 directions (very fancy for the time)

Atari 2600 (review with gameplay)

No recognizers

Doors close after 1 use

Enemies only have difference in color and each color is assigned a specific point amount (for instance, the basic light green warrior is worth 10 points, while the gold warriors are worth 800 points) 

Everything controlled with joystick

Once a warrior is defeated, another will spawn in 10 seconds unless you defeat the last warrior of that wave

Have 5 hp, regained at the end of each wave. Only 1 life

Mattel Aquarius (gameplay)

Similar gameplay as the previous- tossing disc to derezz 3 enemy soldiers at a time in waves

No recognizers

Doors situated in specific spots that can be left open if you attack them, will close once you use them 

Tron can gain a shield- can use 10pts to gain it (from what I can tell based on gameplay)

Enemies worth 50pts, only one type (red colored) 

Atari 8-bit/5200 fan game

Published under the name "Intellidiscs" by Phaser Cat Games

A fan conversion of the Intellivision released in May 2021, for North America and NTSC TV sets according to their site. 

Can download the ROM for free and used to be able to buy the cartridge (came with instruction manual, custom overlay for controller, actual cartridge) -> here on their official website 

Complete with a 4 person battle mode 

Programming by Ryan Whitmer, Music/SFX by Bobby Clark

Game plays similar to original Intellivision version- recognizer (identifier in this one) takes out the doors, can go through door multiple times, different colored enemies with different abilities

Can block/crouch 

Difficulty ramp (enemies come faster) 

References under the cut!

- https://www.myabandonware.com/game/tron-deadly-discs-eah

https://archive.org/details/intv_TRON_Deadly_Discs_1981_Mattel

https://thecoverproject.net/ (covers for both games) 

https://www.mobygames.com/game/8889/tron-deadly-discs/screenshots/ (in-game screenshots)

https://intvfunhouse.com/games/disc.php (box manual, overlay, flyer)  

https://videogamevariations.com/AtariCompanies/MNetworkGames/TronDDManuals/trondd_manualA.htm M Network manual 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia_(video_game) Utopia 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_(video_game) Dungeon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nowS8TypH94 side by side comparison of all games

https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Mattel_Intellivision/Manual/formated/Tron-_Deadly_Discs_-_1982_-_Mattel_Electronics.pdf intellivision instruction manual 

https://forums.atariage.com/topic/320634-intellidiscs-now-available-for-the-5200/ forum with box art

https://www.deviantart.com/atariboy2600/art/Atari-5200-Intellidiscs-921972194 official art from the instruction manual 

[thelittleredheadedmusician]

A day late & a dollar short but here’s my book list from this year! Lots of good ones. Plenty of bad ones. I have Strong Opinions on almost everything! So send me an ask about your most loved or loathed & it’ll give me something to look forward to for after work!

(The 5 or so books started but not finished before yesterday were not included, nor were single issue comics of which there were many or audio dramas.)

Books Read 2024

Audio:

Gideon the Ninth - the locked tomb

A court of frost & starlight

A court of silver flames

All systems Red - Murderbot diaries

Artificial condition - murderbot diaries

The lost apothecary

Rogue protocol - murderbot diaries

Exit strategy - murderbot diaries

Network effect - murderbot diaries

Harrow the Ninth - the locked tomb

Nona the ninth - the locked tomb

Fugitive telemetry - murderbot diaries

Ninth house - Alex stern

Hell Bent - Alex stern

Out of character

We could be so good

Practical Magic

Such sharp teeth

System collapse - murderbot diaries

Lord of shadows - the dark artifices

Queen of air and darkness - the dark artifices

Neverwhere (and how the marquis de carabas got his coat back)

If we were villains

The song of Achilles

Chain of gold (and fairytale of London) - the last hours

Storm front - the Dresden files

Chain of iron (and one must always be careful of books) - the last hours

Chain of thorns (and ought but death) - the last hours

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Fool moon - the Dresden files

Grave peril - the Dresden files

Summer knight - the Dresden files

Midnight in the garden of good and evil

Circe

Last call at the local

The ladies of grace adieu & other stories

Factory girls

Flyaway

Death Masks - the Dresden files

Blood rites - the Dresden files

Dead beat - the Dresden files

The end of the world is a cul de sac

The southern book club’s guide to slaying vampires

Proven guilty - the Dresden files

Murder on the orient express

Children of blood and bone

Atalanta

The final girl support group

The cemetery of untold stories

White night - the Dresden files

The atlas six

The atlas paradox (& sacred hospitality short story)

The magician’s nephew - narnia

The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe - narnia

The horse and his boy - narnia

Prince caspian - narnia

The last boyfriends rules for revenge

The voyage of the Dawn treader - narnia

The silver chair - narnia

The last battle - Narnia

You should be so lucky

The atlas complex

Interview with the vampire - vampire chronicles

White cat - curse workers

Red glove - curse workers

Black heart - curse workers

The queer principles of kit Webb

The lost sisters

The perfect crimes of Marian Hayes

Small favor - Dresden files

Turn coat - Dresden files

So this is ever after

The Vampire Lestat - vampire chronicles

Working for Bigfoot - Dresden files

Changes - Dresden files

The Queen of the damned - vampire chronicles

Lyra’s oxford

The tale of the body thief - vampire chronicles

Side jobs - Dresden files

Ghost story - Dresden files

Memnoch the Devil - vampire chronicles

Cold days - Dresden files

The pairing

Shadowed souls - Dresden files

Skin game - Dresden files

Renegades - renegades trilogy

Archenemies - renegades trilogy

Supernova - renegades trilogy

Masters of death

The nightmare before kissmas

Brief cases - Dresden files

The familiar

Physical:

Young Avengers - gillen & mckelvie run

Men at arms

Ghosts of the shadow market

The red scrolls of magic

The lost book of the white

Soul music

Free country a tale of the children’s crusade

Romancing the beat

Mighty nein origins: Beauregard lionett

Mighty nein origins: caduceus clay

The prisoner’s throne

Sex criminals vol 1

Sex criminals vol 2

Sex criminals vol 3

The pairing

Sex criminals vol 4

American vampire vol 1

American vampire vol 2

American vampire vol 3

Sex criminals vol 5

Sex criminals vol 6

American vampire vol 4

American vampire vol 5

Young Avengers - original run

The Saturday night ghost club

Batgirl: Stephanie Brown vol 1

Batgirl: Stephanie Brown vol 2

[happyk44]

For the character ask- Jason Grace and Jason Todd 💌

Jason Grace

1: three facts about them from my personal headcanons:

Jason suffers from severe depersonalization and emotional disconnect/amnesia

He has chronic pain that he does not treat and ignores because he's had it so long it's become normal to him

He knows ASL

2: a reason they suck

He was not fleshed out as well as other characters - he doesn't really have a backstory and we never see him refer to his past the way the others do, even after TLH when his memories should've come back in full

3: a reason they are great

He's sees the best in people

3: a reason I relate to them 

I was definitely that kid in school was seen as a flawless overachiever

4. (what I consider to be) the top tier otp/ot3 for that character

Lol, I don't write it very much, but my preference is 100% valgrace

5. five things that never happened to that character that I believe should have happened

His arc finalized with him realizing that he wants to learn how to be his own person. He does not go back to Camp Jupiter, but he also doesn't stay at Camp Half-Blood - he just leaves to go on his own journey

He and Leo confess their feelings because, look I love aroace Leo, but also I love gay Leo who falls in love with Jason and they get married and are happy together forever and ever

I also!! Really love the idea of Jason disabling Leo as a parallel to Hera disabling Hephaestus after she threw him off Olympus. There are two options I like: 1) it happens near the end of the book, Jason blasts Leo's arm off by accident in the middle of the battle, Hera is freed and patches him up before he bleeds to death, or 2) it happens during the fight with Circe. Jason pins Leo with heavy air pressure and readies to kill him - but killing Leo goes against his base morals and as a child of Jupiter, he is bound to little else but his morals and the rule of law. So the disconnect between that and with what he's being told to do temporarily frees him of Circe's influence and he's able to deviate and severe Leo's arm off instead. Afterwards, he and Leo use a combo of fire and lightning to cauterize the wound.

I would've loved to see Jason embrace or be more of a representative of Jupiter/Zeus's law and order side of things, the way Hazel and Nico showed the two aspects of Pluto/Hades. Since the Greeks appear to be more within the realm of nature and Thalia is shown using lightning frequently, it would've been cool to have scenes showing Jason using skills outside of lightning and wind. Manipulative Jason who can turn enemies on each other, diplomatic Jason who can convince people to help him so easily. Jason being able to enforce order and calm to a chaotic situation, Jason being able to force his rules, his beliefs, his laws on people. That would've been so much fun - and also a fun way to repel him against the other characters, like Percy, who may be put off by his ability to override someone's free will

Also bloodthirsty wolf boy Jason!! Like yes I get that he wasn't at the Wolf House for that long but who cares? Give me vicious Jason who is protective of his pack, give me starving Jason who rips the flesh from your throat and swallows it whole

6. five people that character never fell in love with and why

I don't understand this question tbh - is it like. who did they fall in love with in canon but I don't think they should have, or who I think they should've fallen in love with, or what.

---

Jason Todd

1: three facts about them from my personal headcanons

His white spot is due to vitilgo. Going through the pit just kind of triggered the gene, sort the same way getting a cold or the flu or severe stress can

He helped take care of Damian as a kid - I think this is canon in one of the animated series, or at least like, implied canon, but unsure about the greater comic network. As Talia was helping him recover and whatnot from the pit, he helped train Damian. He has conflicted feelings about this now, but he remains a safe space for Damian to disappear to whenever he fights with Bruce. Dick may be Dami's big bro now, but Jason was his big bro first.

Autopsy scar! I just like the idea.

2: a reason they suck

He hasn't ripped the Joker's head off yet :( Like I understand why - it has to be Bruce who kills him, it wouldn't be as comforting or satisfying and it wouldn't mean much, but like whatever, someone kill this fucking clown, I hate him

But, nah, on a serious level, I think Jason is a good character. I don't really have anything on why he's bad, other than maybe poor writing? I don't read his comics much tbh

3: a reason they are great

Shoots things and pisses off Bruce

4: a reason I relate to them

I also was an angry little nerd when I was young

5: (what I consider to be) the top tier otp/ot3 for that character

I don't really ship Jason very much, but jaydami would be my go-to because Damian is my favourite. Otherwise, I would recommend either jayroy or jaydick. Or brujay, but only because of the angst potential. I don't really care for Bruce past that, lol. Maybe brujaydick if that's a thing. Little wing getting smushed between people he opposes but also loves a lot. That's hot.

6: five things that never happened to that character that I believe should have happened

I don't have a lot of thoughts on Jason because I priortize Damian and also don't read a lot of comics (so Jason and others get left out because I prefer to read the ones with Damian. Or Duke. Or Dick. The DDD trio lol), but I do get kept up to date by my friends who do love Jason. I'm not sure what never happened to him that I would've wanted to happen to him other than like. Him not dying.

Actually, I do kind of wish they would give Jason his own team. Like I know JayRoy is popular and everyone liked the teamups with Starfire, but I like the idea of each robin sort of having their own little group - like Damian with Jon, Maya, and sometimes Suren, or Tim w/ Kon and the others whose names I don't remember, Bart, Cassie and someone else I think? And then Dick w/ the OG titans. I do get the sibling experience of being friends with your older sibling's friends because they're around all the time and you don't have anyone

I know he had Bizarro and Artemis at one point as a group? I don't know if they sort of "belonged" to anyone else first, but if they didn't, then yeah bring 'em back. Let Jason have his own people to connect with.

Also I want him to beat up Bruce and win. Just for funsies. Doesn't even have to be about anything. Just smack him around.

7: five people that character never fell in love with and why

Right so. Yeah I still don't get this question. 😂 Sorry.

[howlingday]

I just realized: If we look at all three arcs, the heroes only got one solid win. The first arc ends with the Fall of Beacon. The Second arc had them win. The Third arc ended with the Fall of Atlas and Mantle. I would like to think the Vacuo Arc would have ended in a win, but I'm not sure.

Alright, let's break it down, Volume by Volume, big fight by big fight.

Volume 1: Emerald Forest, Jaundice, Dock Fight

Three wins and plenty of room to grow.

Volume 2: Paladin Fight, Beacon Dance, Mountain Glenn

Win with collateral damage (that everybody was pissed about), one loss for the good guys with the data stolen by a disguised Cinder Fall, and one win for everybody at Beacon Academy, this time with somehow more and less collateral damage? I guess it was more contained than entire highways and bridges being damaged.

Volume 3: Vytal Tournament, Battle OfBeacon

Oh boy... This is where the losses start to stack... RWBY and JNPR made into the finals, but... Well, by the end, Penny and Pyrrha died, Team RWBY got separated, Yang lost an arm, and Beacon Academy and the CCT network was disabled. This coming from a previous volume where there was a joke about Ruby getting words wrong.

Volume 4: Volume 4...

This is the point where we learn the dynamic of RWBY Volumes, which is with the flow of seasons. Volume 1 was spring fresh with new beginnings, Volume 2 was action-packed summer adventures, and Volume 3 was drastic and horrible changes like the leaves in autumn, leading us to Volume 4, which hit us non-stop with L after L after L. Yangst, Weiss being abused, Blake having her kitty pity party, and Team RNJR (IT'S JNRR) having to survive Tyrian Callows, the Nuckelavee, and the harsh reality of being huntsmen and huntresses... Oh, and also the Brother gods are real.

Volume 5: Battle for Haven, Menagerie

By the end of Volume 5, everything starts looking up. The White Fang disbands after failing to assassinate the Belladonnas, Ruby and her friends manage to fend off Cinder's group, the good guys learn new abilities and limitations, and Cinder gets dropped off a cliff by Raven. Overall, a good Volume. A couple losses, but still a lot more wins.

Volume 6: Knock, knock! Who's there? It's REALITY!

And... it's gone. The wins. They're gone. Sure, we end this Volume with Adam's death and Ruby's group escaping to Atlas, but... this was also when RWBY stopped looking like young heroes and more like trouble-maker teens with good intentions doing more harm than good. And they don't get any punishment, really. Not to mention that we also learn the truth about Salem and Ozpin. Not many Ls, but only because they're still cooking.

Volume 7: You lost, but you won, but you still lost

Starting off, we have Team RWBY and group getting captured by the Ace-Ops, serving as a sort of marker for where they'll by Volume end. Until then, we have Team RWBY failing to stop a public massacre, a rigged election, and end with martial law being established over all of Atlas. But hey, at least we stopped Jacques Schnee, got out licenses to kill, and some sick-ass upgrades to our old gear!

Volume 8: I want off General Ironwood's Wild Martial Law

OKAY! So we start off with Penny being pressured to do something she doesn't want to and NOBODY is talking about it like adults. Even fucking General Ironwood isn't backing down. But then again, he's probably still riding the high of shooting a child and suffering from the low that it wasn't a kill shot. But yeah, this entire Volume was just low after low after low after LOW. There is no positive to this Volume. No Ws for anyone. Now get back on the bus. It's time to go to Saturday detention.

Volume 9: Guide~! My~! Way~! Out~! I'm what inspired the fairy tales~...

Real talk. You listening? Okay... I will say that V9 isn't the best Volume. Compared to V2 or V5, it's barely squeezing in at third. However, THIS is my absolute favorite Volume. In terms of Ls and Ws, there's definitely a couple Ls, biggest of all to Ruby, but she also gets the biggest W of the entire Volume. V9 has the best moments, the best music, and even the best villain of the entire series, even if they weren't even main antag level. Everything about Volume 9 served it's purpose as a spring chapter. It's coming out of the cold winter and into the new beginnings of spring.

That said, I understand that this being said AFTER RT already announced their shutdown, but I think the show says it best. Never lose hope, keep moving forward, and remember that victory is in the simple soul.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

[originalwinnercheesecake]

What if the Teen Titans were pokemon trainers

Doing this summary again. So basically pokemon is something I loved as a kid/teen, then I outgrew it around the time Black&White came out. Now I am back into it and am having a lot of fun imagining pokemon teams for characters from other cartoons I like now/liked as a kid. I have done a bunch of posts for Disney cartoons, and a couple od cartoon network ones (No Nick ones.. yet). Teen titans was one of my favorite shows growing up and I have been wanting to do pokemon teams for a while. So here are teams for the Main group of Titans, Titans East, and 3 anti hero’s. Now I used the 2003 version of Teen Titans, since that was the one I watched every week as a kid but if anyone really likes Teen titans Go you could probably still use most of these pokemon for that show too (Change out a certain one of Raven’s for a Ponyta, and maybe another certain of Robin’s for I don’t know farfetch.)

Now one thing important about the 2003 version is that when describing the dynamic between the titans the writers (using Robin’s name/voice) summed them up as “We are not five hero’s. We are one Awesome team". In this version the titans were all extensively trained in combat, and did everything together as a team. I do not want to take there powers away, or change their dynamic. Since they do have powers (In Robin’s case gadgets and lots and lots of martial arts experience), and already have numbers through each other; I do not think any of them would feel the need to catch a full team of six. So I am giving everyone 3 pokemon.  

The main titans will also each have a shiny pokemon, the one I think would be their top pokemon, or the one that best encompasses their emotional arcs/places on the team. I also gave each of the Titans East a fairy pokemon, mostly because I saw half of them had fairies and figured okay this can be their teams version of shines. Without further adieu, teams below

Main Titans Robin

 The Leader of the team

Taillow: Well of course the iconic “Bird Boy” needs a bird pokemon. It scouts ahead, trails bad guys, and yes does fight in battles. I picked Taillow for Robin due to the birds flying and normal type (Headcannon that Normal or duel Normal types are Robin’s favorite, because they are similar to him) and brave gutsy nature, which mirrors the boy wonder’s own.

Hitmonchan: Robin’s strongest pokemon. Given his martial arts and combat knowledge Robin would also have a fighting type pokemon. I picked Hitmoncham because it’s a classic fighter, that can land a serious punch, and is always training to better itself. Wiki also says it will train by sparing with its trainer, if said trainer is tough enough to be able to keep up. Since Robin definitely could, this pokemon would be a great partner for him on and off the field.

Shiney Absol: So n the 2003 version Robin walked the line between good and bad more than Raven, or any other titan. (I exclude Terra because she ultimately decided she wasn’t/did not want to be a titan.). In season one Robin believes that their is “Good” and “evil”, the two have a very clear divide, and that because he places himself on the side of good, he has justification to take any risk or try anything. A belief that clever villains (Slade) learn to exploit, and even Robin himself crosses at times. 

I am giving Robin an Absol because at the end of his arc, and in episodes centered around him in later seasons , Robin is forced to admit that he thinks very similarly to Villains he fights against, and has the potential to be like them. I am making this his Shiny pokemon to show his relationship with his friends, and how at the end of season 1 he tells Starfire that he will never turn out like the villians he shares these similarities with, because he knows that his friends will never let him.

Starfire

The strength of the team. Proof that innocence does not mean ignorance

Starmie: A star shaped pokemon, for Starfire. One that like her is equal parts strong, powerful, and beautiful.

Shiny Blaziken: I will make Starfire’s ace her shiny to show her prowess as a fighter, lying underneath all her curiosity and sweetness. I really wanted to give Starfire a strong fire type. The torchick line is a good line, that’s popular among girls. I am giving Starfire a fully evolved one because our girl is more than capable... I also kinda really like the idea of Robin and Starfire both having fighting types for their strongest pokemon, Robin’s being a regular fighting type and Starfire's being a duel fire/fighting type. I think that really suits this couple.

Dunsparce: Yeah yeah yeah. I know its a pretty lame, weird looking pokemon. It’s the closest Pokemon I could find to Silky okay. It’s Starfire’s pet.

Cyborg

The Muscle, mechanics, and resident big brother of the team.

Electrode: a good electric type for Cy. It helps stop his systems/machines from overloading/taking to much electricity. Its detonation could work as a substatue for Cyborg’s sonic cannon if he finds himself in a situation where he has taken damage or needs to conserve power. I also think it would make a really good guard Pokemon for Cyborg’s room, or any place he keeps machines that for safety reasons only he should touch (be where of Electrode Beast Boy).

KlingKlang: here is Cyborg’s strongest pokemon. Steel is another type I feel like Cyborg would favor/want to train. And since he is a shop class guy with an expertise with cogs and gears, he and a fully evolved gear shaped steel type pokemon just to me feel like a match made in heaven

Shiny Mechop: This one is Cyborgs little buddy (For real I love dynamics where one person is really big/tall and then the other is really small. So since Cy is an already a big muscle man gonna say that an ever stone was used to keep Machop as mini muscle) and extra pare of helping hands. It knows how to use tools and crawls into tight space Cyborg cannot fit to fix things. If the pare are not training or battling together they can often be found outside throwing the footballs around. Cy has even tried to teach it to play video games with him and BB (though it sometimes destroys the controls).

Raven

The Hope and steadiness of the team.

I picked her pokemon from a Psychological perspective. In addition to her not having a ponyta I also excluded “Raven” Pokemon like Murkrow or Crovisquire because while they may match Raven’s “esthetic” I do not see them as matching in other ways.

Haunter: a ghostly spirit pokemon. Clever, somewhat creepy, kinda looks a bit like the shadowy magic Raven uses. It's not a dark type though, because Raven does not do dark spells. It's also generally a very silly pokemon and goes to lengths trying to get Raven figure out that she will not accidentally blow up the world if she laughs or has fun ever now and again (Haunter gets along really well with Beast Boy. It will enlist his help if it seems like it's trainer is being particularly difficult in this area.)

Alakasam: A strong psychic pokemon for this heroine with such strong powers. Alakasam and Raven's meditate together, and are able to use the similarities in their abilities to communicate telepathically, and could maybe even draw assistance/metronome from each others power pool. They have done a lot of good together. But they also both share that internal fear of "what kind of destruction would I be capable of if I ever lost control". This holds them back considerably. I don't think they would be brave enough to really give it their full power until season 4's finale battle with Trigon.

Shiny Togepi: Raven was the Titan that turned out to be great at and really like babysitting, so baby pokemon for Raven. I picked Togepi due to it being an empath (just like Raven) pokemon. More than that though, Raven has always feared that her heritage means she is fated to be bad. Togepi's sense what is in others hearts and refuse to obey those they see bad in. Being Togepi's trainer assures Raven that she is not her heritage and is fully capable of choosing to be/do good. It is her shiny because it's the pokemon that helps bring out the best in her.

Beast Boy

The comfort and laughter of the team.

So my original plan was just to give him a sea, land, and flying pokemon, since he has performed Hero work in all three. When I picked the three I found I could not leave them less than fully evolved. BB has been these animals and knows full well what they would need. This led to him ending up with the strongest team.

Manatine: Beast Boy's water/sea pokemon. Helps him keep his friends and the T-Sub safe. It evolved from Mantyke all the way back in season 1 after Beast Boy and Aqua Lad were able to put aside their differences and beat the army of Tritant's.

Donphan: this is BB's land pokemon. He liked elephants in the show and donphan's being a rock type also works because rock/earth had so much to do with the terra arc. To which BB was integral. So I am going to say that BB's little phanpy liked and wanted to help Terra almost as much as BB did. Her betrayal was all the worse for it because not only did it lose a friend, but then it had to watch its, normally carefree and happy go lucky, trainer go through such a long period of heartbreak. It evolves into Donphan in the first part of Aftershock, while trying to protect Beast Boy from Terra. It isn't able to that time. But it is still a comfort to him after the season 2 finale, and the pair get stronger over the next 3 seasons.

Shiney Altaria: Beast Boy's Ariel pokemon. I chose Altaria because of its strong typing, and because it is covered in fluffy pillows. It's his shiny because of the three it best represents the lightheartedness and support Best boy brings to his team. For most of the show its a little bird. It evolves at the beginning of season 5, like the first or second episode. The doom Patrol see it evolve. By the end of that arc (when Beast Boy and what's left of the titans Allies go to face the Brotherhood, not when Terra comes back) Best Boy and Alteria have found stones and mastered mega evolution.

(Okay so it looks like I didn't mention this up higher, but Starfire and Beast Boy are the only two Titans I could see using mega stones with their partner pokemon. Raven and Alakasam are scared of the effects/loosing themselves, and Robin and Absol are stubborn and adamant say they do not need "extras" to be Hero's).

Terra

the lost girl, trapped in a cycle she could not beat alone

Dugtrio and an Alolan Marowak: Terra first two pokemon that she has pre meeting the titans (though her Marowake was probably a Cubone then, and it evolved in between her first meeting and when she came back, a ghost of the sweet girl they met before). They represent her loneliness and how unstable her life feels to her. She is close with these two pokemon and they do care about her. Terra set's them free before staying to stop the volcano. The Titans want to take Dugtrio and Marowak back to the tower and keep them until they can figure out how to reunite them with Terra. But after everything that went down the pokemon pair decide to leave Jump City to wonder again. They are eventually found and picked up by Terra's older bother Geo-force, and live happily with him.

Onyx: This pokemon actually belongs to Slade. When he and Terra commonsense their plan in Aftershock he places its pokeball in Terra's hands with instructions to use it to help bring the titans and the city to their knees. The thing is big, mean, and super destructive. Laying waste to the town alongside Terra, Slade's other goons, and robots. Terra leaves it behind when she gives up during the battle at the start of part 2. What ever happens to Cinderblock/Overload/Plasmus happens to it. The next time we see it again would be the amusement park in "Things change".

Butterfree: I know, I know I said each character would only have three. But a.) Onyx wasn't really Terra's pokemon so she technically only had two. b.) Terra acquires Butterfree after coming out of the statue (before seeing Best Boy again). By this time she has released Dugtrio and Marowak, and is starting over with an empty slate.

Terra finds butterfree as a caterpie one evening when she gets caught in a storm on the way back to wherever her place of residency is. The storm is clearly scaring caterpie and Terra take pity on it, and takes it back with her. It turns to have been right at evolution, and was holding off until it could find a safe place to. It evolves into Metapod that night and Butterfree a couple weeks later. Terra keeps the butterfree as an emotional support pokemon. If it can go into a chrysalis, come out as something new, then go on to live a good life... well than maybe so can Terra.

Okay so this is already getting posted late because my computer crashed and the repair shop could not fix it, so I had to order a new one. Plus i think it's long enough with just these six. So I will post it as is and if it gets enough likes/comments I will post a part 2 with my pokemon pics for the The Titans East, and the two other anti hero's. The two other anti hero's are Red-X and Jinx if that gets anyone wanting to leave likes and comments in an effort to motivate me to write part two faster

[the-good-bad-truth]

Pregnancy reveal on Grammy's nomination week?

Christmas jingle?

The Voice guest coach?

What's next? Let me guess some option.

1. Winter wonderland elopement?

2. Some New Age religion baptism for the child?

3. Vow renewal after two months?

4. Face reveal of the baby for some campaign?

5. Very unusual baby name?

6. Wedding sponsored by a high fashion brand?

7. Wedding footage sold to a reality TV network?

8. Honeymoon sex tape?

9. Divorce with no prenup?

10. Paparazzi knowing their location while she looks at the camera and he can't fake being annoyed, every time? How both of y'all actors, but can't act.

11. Diddy trial?

12. Custody battle?

13. Diddy party footage?

14. Child support settlement?

15. Another billionaire white party?

16. Another Kardashian cameo?

17. Another overdose CDAN rumor at a Roc Nation event?

18. Another public meltdown & temporary breakup?

19. Another Snapchat rumor of him cheating with a porn star? Notice how Teanna Trump seems closer to "his only type".

20. His first baby momma finally mustering the courage to stop hiding and speak out about all the BS he must have put her through? If she shares her truth, it'll probably be when her daughter’s in her mid-20s... if he’s still around or relevant enough for anyone to care in 10 years.

21. Somebody hopping on a podcast to share a hook up story?

22. Somebody on instagram sharing how they got an STD?

23. Third baby momma?

24. DV allegations?

25. Rehab?

26. Old tweets being exposed?

If I had to choose, I would say pap photos of them definitely, she will be posting and showing off her stomach in revealing clothes because that is now a popular trend for pregnant celebrities to be doing. So maybe she can rebrand her style as being a hot mom or something. I would also say there will be articles of how he is absent or that Megan feels his not mature to be a father blah blah. They already did that when they were engaged of how she wasn't sure he was the marrying type and later from her own mouth she said marriage wasn't her thing. I don't see them marrying at least until baby is born because that will only extend and give them more things to shove down our throats. Even then I do not see marriage in the cards for them since she had already shut down that fantasy of his, so he will be feeling too insecure to ask her again.

She will most definitely be choosing a weird baby name, and I feel like he would not have a say in the name. He would just go along with it. Because I notice when she shares something that embarrasses him or paints him in a bad light, he usually tucks his tail between his legs and takes the hit for her. Which I totally understand because if I feel if he were to speak up or go against her narrative people would just shit on him because she has been blacklisted, and a woman and he is the man who Eminem forced to switch genres.

Megan chose a perfect man to bully and I'm just going to say it cuz no one wants to admit, abuse. She is abusive to him 100%. But you know how she wants to say she is not seen as a perfect victim, well actually Megan it's Colson who is not the perfect victim cuz he is a man, cuz he disrespected eminems daughter and lost the beef cuz he is the punching bag and the but of the joke for the media and public.

Also, I know people are saying she won't show this baby, but I doubt it. She has done it in the past on her insta she had many photos of her children, and she has also done pap walk with her children at places and times where it was "family" time. I can see her doing magazine shoots with this baby or doing something for a mommy/baby brand. But I think she will do it without Colson which will only help feed into her I'm alone in this world and men aren't shit and absent fathers' narrative

[antifainternational]

REVIEW: WE GO WHERE THEY GO: THE STORY OF ANTI-RACIST ACTION Shannon Clay, Lady, Kristin Schwartz, and Michael Staudenmaier 2023, PM Press Reviewed by K-Dog In February I read the excellent new book WE GO WHERE THEY GO - The Story of Anti-Racist Action written by Shannon Clay, Lady, Kristin Schwartz, and Michael Staudenmaier, with a cool graphic-style Forward by Gord Hill - and published by PM Press. This is the first-ever in-depth history of the influential direct-action anti-fascist youth movement - and the authors do a great job of trying to organize that story into chapters covering the defining struggles and evolutions of the network - including the turf battles between anti-racist skins and nazi boneheads, the protracted struggle against the Ku Klux Klan's organizing efforts, ARA 's innovative and effective work in Canada, and the fierce opposition to both anti-choice fascists and sexism within our movement. The book is driven by interviews with over 50 ARA veterans, fellow travelers or first-hand observers who provide quotes, reflections, and war stories - often with a biting sense of humor.

I spent a good part of my teens and twenties building ARA in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Detroit, Chicago and supporting other chapters across North America. It was my university. So it was fun and sometimes emotional to read stories of fights we were in or see quotes from friends who have put in the work and paid their dues in this movement. I always knew that what we did mattered - even if it wasn't often treated that way by the mainstream left - not to mention broader society. But I have to admit its rewarding to have the history treated as something significant, even crucial. More than giving props to the OG antifas tho - what's really meaningful is that this book will help a new generation, confronting new forms of the fascist threat, find inspiration and lessons in both our successes and failures.

A few things off the top of my head that I thought the book did well was: 1. Quantify the victories against the fash - a surprising number of fascist organizations went out of business after sustained campaigns by ARA - a material contribution to the fight against white supremacy 2. Deal openly and honestly and without hype with the question of political violence - both its efficacy and dangers 3. Emphasize the role of culture (not just the bands - but yes the bands) - the way the movement LIVED and FELT and WORKED 4. Skillfully review the disagreements and controversies within the movement without trying to score points or dismiss points of view 5. Argue for the need for movements that are both militant AND outward facing - radical AND popular 6. Letting the people speak! This isn't a book of academic citations or leftist rhetoric - its the voices of regular, mostly working-class people, mostly without college degrees sharing their thoughtful insights, compelling stories, and clever anecdotes

My criticisms of the book are really more criticisms of ARA. Did we really never articulate a thorough understanding of what fascism is? Or at least establish some solid competing positions? Did we never find a way to talk about strategy beyond the various direct action campaigns we were running? Did we never propose ways to further embed ARA within wider sections of the working-class - and especially relate to communities of color more consistently and systematically? Looking back, some of our short comings are embarrassingly obvious.

For me Anti-Racist Action was a real living example of a genuine "United Front" - the concept of different groups, tendencies, and individuals working together and having each others backs in struggle DESPITE many real and important differences. A United Front does not mean everybody is all happy with each other all the time - quite the opposite, it means we're all often annoyed, angry or arguing with each other - but we don't sulk away when we lose a vote or don't get our way or face some criticism. We do appreciate what other folks are bringing to the table tho, we give them their respect, and we recognize the common goals we are fighting for - because those goals actually fucking matter.

The other thing about ARA I'd like to highlight was the de facto method of leadership - the anarchistic "leadership by example". Instead of a top-down structure where a few intellectuals dictate strategy and tactics on the larger mass - ARA chapters made their arguments by producing real world examples of what they were talking about. Think we should all do Cop-Watch patrols? Show me what that looks like. Convinced we need to make feminism a core part of our culture? Build a crew that exudes that vibe. Want economic demands as part of the program? See how we are doing it in our town, etc. etc. etc.

I have a lot of love for the hundreds of young people who organized and fought for ARA; for the few elders from the 60s/70s generation who embraced ARA, helped build it and make it more sophisticated; and the bands that saw what we were doing and kney they could help by promoting the work on tour and on records. ARA was a militant movement - we took risks and took licks - and gave 'em back too. I remember once calculating how many arrests ARA had taken over the years and by my loose tally we were well into the many hundreds when I gave up counting. Many of us got stitches and casts, relationships got tested and burned, and two of us were murdered by nazis in the desert. Now in my 50s I'm still unsettled and angry about a lot - and I'm still active on a few fronts - will be 'til the day I die. But I have a calmness when I'm around my ARA homies with our jokes, arguments, scars, and PTSD. My people. Virtual book launch of WE GO WHERE THEY GO, hosted by Asheville, NC's Firestorm Books: Tuesday, March 28th @ 7pm. Register here.

[lighteffexor]

It's a new day. Elon Musk claims to be the one of the best Mega Man Battle Network players ever. He starts up a stream with his 7-emblem save file of BN6 Gregar and says he's going to fight one of the hardest bosses in the game (BassBX) to show how good he is.

On his way to Graveyard 2, he gets in an encounter and it brings up a pretty good folder. Mono-coded with Colonel Force thrown in for good measure (you know, Gregar Vulcan and all that). NaviCust looks like it'll be setup for an overall good time. Cust+3, the buster's stats are maxed, the works. It's a Central Town area encounter, so you'd think he'd probably just run to save time. But no, he's disgruntled and chooses chips that have zero synergy with each other. He puts White Capsule as his first chip to use followed by Atk+10, AreaGrab, and then BlastMan. He says he's going to change some things for this fight since this isn't a good folder for Bass.

He goes to the NaviCust (after getting lost in menus) and removes everything to add Number Open saying "this will give me more things to choose from because I need all I can get to really unload into the boss". He also, unknowingly, places it out of the grid so it'll cause a bug (he'll never fix this).

He then goes to his folder selection after the battle and we see two folders. One called LanFldr which is another mono-coded folder and one called ElonFldr which is the one being used. He goes into that one and starts messing with the folder. He mentions off-hand that he's done all this with low-MB/low-damage chips, but BassBX will require more. He starts going through his weaker chips, selects one, and goes over to his pack and starts scrolling through chips until he finds one that has a high damage stat that also is not in the code of his folder. He'll try to add more copies but it has too many MB so he can only add one. He'll keep doing this manual process, never sorting either his folder or his pack, for every single low damage and support chip until his folder looks like this:

He then proceeds to get into an encounter with ElementManSP and gets destroyed.

[aeswna]

Sengoku A Live ~Translation~

Main chapter: season 1

-Chapter 0 episode 0-3

- Error occurred -

----What is purpose of your life?

Turbulent times

A damp wind aimed the armor of the mounted samurai,and dust flies in gap between them as they stand staring at each other for their lives.

[???]"huh asakura Uesugi,Miyoshi,chosokabe,kuroda...I see imagawa and matsudaira are also there, which Is a quiet an interesting lineup.

[???]"Once they successfully stopped me from going to Kyoto, the raccoon dogs with something in their stomachs will face each other and have a friendly bouquet?"

[???]"Listen up you ignorant fools of the world!"

[???]"For me who will one day become a ruler of Japan country, this war is truly a feast"

[???]"The clique of the weak excite me. I can't help but feel happy. Involuntarily."

[???]"It makes me want to start singing"

[???]"Let's go!"

---The man who aimed to unify the country risked their lives in numerous battles

---They have been countless battles including that have no place in history.

In 1552 the dragon of Echigo and the tiger of Kai set up the camp near the river and glared at each other. However at the Uesugi camp-

[Kenshin Uesugi?]"What the river is flooding]

[samurai]"yes! We all know that this is a battle we cannot back out of! But now retreating is the only option...!"

[Kenshin Uesugi?] How long does it take for the water to get here?]

[samurai]"we're running out of time! Please make your decision!]

[Kenshin Uesugi?]...if so-

-Meanwhile at Takeda camp--.

[Takeda Shingen?]"Hmm- could that sound be..?

[samurai]"My lord! The river has flooded"

[Takeda Shingen?]"Don't worry the person in front of you will be watching the situation, so everyone wait on the high ground!]

[samurai]"What! That place is dangerous! My lord!"

--in 1559, at the Battle of owari, the Oda army, which controlled Owari, seemed to have the upper hand.

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Hmph, the siege network is unsurpassed. The battle situation is overwhelming in our favor"

[???] It's a trap, Nobunaga-sama...!

[Oda Nobunaga?]"What...? Who are you!? Show yourself and tell me the details!"

[???] I am Nobunaga-sama's ally...! There is a sign of a surprise attack by multiple soldier from them rear! Please run away immediately!!!!!

[Oda Nobunaga?]"it's was a surprise attack...!?

--in 1590, during Odawara conquest, Date Masamune, who had been separated from the army..

[Date Masamune?]"Ugh--!"

[Samurai]"You're an inexperienced swordsman. My heart can't catch up.

[Date Masamune?]"Haha, nice. I'm holding a sword so I can cut down people with big mouth like you."

[Samurai]"An increase number of young warrior, who are as good as babies,are talking. I'll cut your arm!!

[Date Masamune?]"!?"

--in each Battle, the flames of life for the warlord is about to go out.

-December 31, 2022-

[???]" Oda Nobunaga, Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin...oh, maybe I should add Sanada Yukimura and some ninjas too..

[???]"Well I don't believe that"

[???]"Program that summons a Sengoku Warlord"

[???]"But if it true..."

-After the player murmur, the sound of enter key being pressed echoed-

[yocchan you're late. The new year will soon be here]

[I look around the crowd, searching for my uncle who I'm meeting]

___Shibuya on New Year's Eve__

Everyone was watching with joy on their faces was the annual year-end singing contest projected on a large screen.

Everyone seems to be looking forward to something int the new year.

[Huh? I wonder what's going on the image in my vision is messed up right now]

Suddenly, Shibuya was plugged into darkness

It was as if time has stopped at this very moment...

[???]....

[???]....hah? What is this..?

When the men opened his eyes Shibuya was cover in a white haze and everything had stopped

The people, the noise, the twinkling stars.

Expect for the one man

[???]"Hey Hey, is this some kind of prank?

That moment

A strong wind blew and a mysterious sound echoed thought the era.

[3 people]"...."

[3 people]"...."

[3 people]"...."

[3 people]"...."

[???]" Ha?...what are they..?

[???]"Ha...what are they?"

[3 people]"...."

[3 people]"...."

[3 people]"...."

[3 people]"...."

Suddenly, men in armor appeared in Shibuya, where time had stopped.

[Akechi Mitsuhide?]"....This place is..."

[Date Masamune?]"...Hah?Huh,what happened to this place?

[Kenshin Uesugi?]"is it fog that's gathering in it?... Is it illusions?

[Takeda Shingen?]"That family crest is it yours?"

[Uesugi Kenshin?]"! Takeda-"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"......What?"

[Date Masamune?]"huh? Did you just say something?"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Am I...dead...?

[Date Masamune?]"Ha?"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Answer me"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Who are you guys!"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Why are you here?!"

[Date Masamune?]"No no I want to hear it"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"....

*[Ishida Mitsunari?]"....

[Date Masamune?]"Eh...did I dead because of that? I was cut down by that angry guy...?"

[Takeda Shingen?]"In the foreground is flooding water.."

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Surprise attack...damn it!"

[Uesugi Kenshin?]"Everyone was facing theirs own end

[3 people]"...."

[Uesugi Kenshin?]"....I see. So this must be the place we reach after death.."

[Hattori Hanzo?]"After death..."

[Canada Yukimura?]"...No way..."

[Fuuma Kotaro?]"..is this what death is like?"

[Katakura Kojuro?]"I will not admit it! My master is dead..."

[Date Masamune?]"......"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"I won't admit it either! Im died without achieving the unification of the country."

[Oda Nobunaga?]"----!"

[???]"ah...?"

The two men's eyes meet and they stop moving for a moment.

The first to open his mouth was---

[???]"Who are guys? You're all pretty old fashioned for characters in my dreams"

[Ishida Mitsunari?]"Who are you, lord? It's a really strange look though."

[Katakura Kojuro?]"it's dangerous. Come closer a little closer to me. The area we just saw along with everything else, is probably a clever illusions set by the Hojo soldier"

[Date Masamune?]"if it's an illusion, does that mean we're not dead yet?"

[Mitsunari Ishida?]"But why are they stopping their movement...? There are so many things that are incomprehensible."

[Mitsunari Ishida?]"Maybe it's best to wait and see for a while"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Hah let's wait and see....! If it's a illusions this is a battlefield!"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Slash the enemy and connect this life to the world!"

with that voice ringing out all around , the man swiftly drew his sword

The other samurai follow suit, drawing their sword one after the other.

[Hattori Hanzo?]"hmm, you can do it. But the illusion doesn't work in me."

[Hattori Hanzo?]"Here we go"

__the man with two sword

With brilliant movement, he rushes through the still people

[Fuuma Kotaro?]"..."

[Hattori Hanzo?]"Wow, Even though it was a powerful attack, it was easily stopped."

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Your sword is still blue!"

[Yukimura Sanada?]"it'll turn red in no time!"

[Mitsunari Ishida?]" I can fight well in this situation...well let's join forces."

[Toshiie Meada?]" I won't let you lay hand on lord Nobunaga!"

[Ishida Mitsunari?]"Damn it...! What strength!"

[Toshiie Meada?]"Ha! You're pretty good at it. But that sword won't reach Nobunaga-sama!"

*[Ishida Mitsunari?]"Your excellency.... Pervious why did Maeda get in the way Dengun's army?"

[Sanada Yukimura?]"Oi,oi,oi! That's about as much as a big mouth slap! Do it like you're going to die!"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"That's fun kid! Cut or be cut in any situation!"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Therefore, I will completely cut down everyone expect the Oda force here---

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Take over the world!"

At that time-

[Oda Nobunaga?]"---!"

Music began to play from the large screen...

[Large vision audio]"Next up is the most talked about song of the year! It became a huge hit, so to speak, unifying the country"

[???]"!? This song is..."

[Hattori Hanzo?]"This is first time I've heard of something like this..."

[2 people]"......"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"oh...---this song"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"I like it"

____________________________________

As music flies the street of Shibuya, the fog begins to recede..

And when the music stops

Times has returned

[Huh?]

[What was Im doing? I remember there was a power outage..]

[I looked around the town in a panic and the people around me were also in a state of restless]

[Perhaps due to the power outage, the vision is still dark]

[???]"The song that just play now.."

[huh? When did yocchan come?]

[As I'm confused by my uncle's behavior, I heard the sound of a police car siren.]

_a voice boomed over the speaker_

[police officer]"Hey those Cosplayers! I'm going to ask you a few questions, so please stay where you are"

[ I turn around and saw men in armor standing there with sword in hand.]

[Before I knew it..]

[Sanada Yukimura?]"....Eh.. what's going on?"

[Katakura Kojuro?]"even the enemy seems confused by the level of perfection of the technique. Maybe we should leave this place for now."

[Date Masamune?]" Well then let's go quickly"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"I won't let anyone escape! Wait----!"

[Woman]"The police are here. Are those warlord unauthorized performances?"

[Male]"As expected of Shibuya, there are some crazy people here."

[???]"Shibuya.."

[Akechi Mitsuhide?]" Well then. I guess I have to handle this somehow."

[Yocchan]"You guys, follow me!

[Eehh!?]

[Akechi Mitsuhide?]"! That person is the one from earlier"

[Yocchan]"This way! Everybody come with me!"

[Yoochan's warm hand grab my arm.]

[Yocchan]“i want to help them! Let's run to the parking lot!"

[Helping....are you acquainted with that cosplay group?]

[2 people]"...."

[2 people]"...."

[2 people]"...."

[Yocchan]"why aren't you guys moving? Either you stay here and get caught or run away with me... which is it!"

[Mitsunari Ishida?]"For now on , is it a good idea to leave this place with that person"

[Wow some people are really following....]

[police officer]"Hey! you guys wait! Wait----!"

[Yocchan]"ha...ha..ha, okay the police out of the way we're almost to the car--"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Stop!"

[!?]

[surprised by the angry shout that echoed from the Alley, I stopped in my track.]

[The man in sengoku warlord costume pulls out his sword and points the tip at]

[point here]

[What...!?]

*[Yocchan]"...I see"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"who are you guys? Tell me your names!"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"State your name!"

[I'm (Name) ]

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"I am Yoshiaki Ashikaga"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Ashikaga, you say?"

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"If you want to know more than that, put away all that nonsense and come prepared."

[Oda Nobunaga?]"...."

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"(Name) Let's go"

[uh, yeah...!]

[I followed Yocchan, Who gingerly moved away from the sword and started walking leisurely]

[many voice]"10!! 9"

[Ahh...it's the New Year countdown]

[I couldn't help but turn around when I heard voice coming from the main street.]

[7,6]

[Hattori Hanzo?]"What should we do?"

[Fuuma Kotaro?]"....I Will follow"

[Hattori Hanzo?]"Well, he seem like someone I can have conversations with anyway~."

[many voice]"5!,4--

[Date Masamune?]"I'm going too. I'm not going anywhere. I'm moving forward to listen to what you have to say."

[Mitsunari Ishida?]"Right now, understanding the situation is the top priority."

[Takeda Shingen?]"I see. Is the the middle of illusions or the afterlife?"

[Takeda Shingen?]"I have to find out if it's reality or not."

[Many voice]"3!---2-"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"....."

1!---

[many voice]"Happy New Year!---"

[Ashikaga Yoshiaki]"Look. You too, come on"

[Oda Nobunaga?]"Don't Tell me want to do."

[Although he said this in a voice that oozed dissatisfaction and disbelief, he sheathed his sword and start walking]

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"Well, come in it's my castle"

[Hattori Hanzo?]"This is...the castle...?

*[Fuuma Kotaro?]"...."

[Takeda Shingen?]"Ashikaga-sama I'd like to ask you something straight away."

[Takeda Shingen?]"when I met you in the (land of black and white)a while ago. What were you doing there?"

*[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"The land of Hakubu...Do you mena Shibuya?"

[Takeda Shingen?]"Shibuya....?"

[Mitsunari Ishida?]"I would also like to ask you a question. That place and this current situation are to vivid for a illusions. Do you know something sir?"

[Um...! What are you talking about? Illusions or something..?]

[My uncle doesn't know anyone like you..!]

[Date Masamune?]"If we just met for the first time, why did you helo us?"

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"Because I knew it"

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"You guys are my Destiny"

[3 people]"Destiny.....?"

[Yocchan...?]

[In recent years, he has lost his will]

[The reason is that there is nothing that can be done easily.]

[That's why I was always worried about him-]

[Now......ever since I met these people,I feel full of energy]

[I wonder how long it's been since I saw Yocchan like this......]

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"Romantic stories need background music"

[While saying this, yocchan stand in front of the music player and presses the play button]

[Hattori Hanzo?]"Wow,this sound..... singing? Where is it coming from?"

[Mitsunari Ishida?]"How lovely...no, how gorgeous? I heard the song earlier,but this is the first time I've heard something like this."

[Date Masamune?]"......Hey, isn't that the song from earlier?"

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"!"

[Fuuma Kotaro?]" I want to listen to that again too."

[Oda Nobunaga?]"......"

[That song from earlier? What are you talking about?"

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"----!"

[There was a power outage at the scramble intersection, so I don't think there was any music playing...."

[Fuuma Kotaro?]"........Eh"

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"Ah..."

Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"I see"

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"Is that so"

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"That song....I see..haha! Hahaha!

[Yocchan..?]

[Oda Nobunaga?]"What are laughing at?"

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"No, no I just thought about it. I haven't thrown away my life yet"

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"---Hey, you guys"

[2 people]"....."

[2 people]"....."

[2 people]"....."

[Yoshiaki Ashikaga]"Would you like to join me to take over the world with song?"

-The end of chapter 0-

_________________________________________

- Disclaimer -

_________________________________________

Not all translations in this are correct..I have tried my best to translate this so please don't steal it.

If it has any mistakes wrong in this translation please let me know , this is my first time doing this kind of blog..

-Notes-

English is not my first language so please forgive me if there are typos in this translation....🙇🏻‍♀️There are likely to be many typos, so if you see any mistakes, please tell me.

[playinhooky]

I've been playing the battle network legacy collection because I've real fond memories of MMBN3 as a kid and I had never played any of the previous or subsequent titles before.

having now played through the first two games and being on 3 again (white version), I feel like there's a huge gap in quality. one and two have incredibly confusing maps, some of the puzzles are just "walk along the invisible stage until you find the invisible pathway" or "walk between three areas repeatedly for two hours", with very weak story beats if there are any at all aside from the main plot.

MMBN3 has some of the most emotional sub plots, and they're all connected to the main plot, none of the fetch quests feel too demanding time wise because they're usually not too far apart distance wise or you can usually use shortcuts to get where you want to go. I've fucking cried several times playing this children's game and I'm not even finished with it yet!

I have high hopes for the rest of the series, but I'm nervous about MMBN4 because I've not seen great things about it, and coming off of the absolute gut wrencher that is 3 will be a tough act to follow...

we'll see what the future holds, and in the meantime, I'll be making a NetBattler's character for funsies and see if I can convince some folks to play the fan made ttrpg with me.