#Best Reading Apps for kids 2020 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

battlestory · 5 months ago

Text

How “Battle Royale” Took Over Video Games

With a simple, ingenious formula, a Japanese novel has inspired some of the most successful games in history. By Simon Parkin

In the mid-nineteen-nineties, Koushun Takami was dozing on his futon on the island of Shikoku, Japan, when he was visited by an apparition: a maniacal schoolteacher addressing a group of students. “All right, class, listen up,” Takami heard the teacher say. “Today, I’m going to have you all kill each other.” Takami was in his twenties, and he had recently quit his job as a reporter for a local newspaper to become a novelist. As a literature student at Osaka University, he had started and abandoned several horror-infused detective stories. But the well had long since run dry; he had left his job with neither a plan nor a plot in mind. The visitation wasn’t a haunting; it was an epiphany.

In the novel that followed, an instructor sends forty-two junior high schoolers to a deserted island. The kids awaken to find explosive collars secured around their necks. They’re ordered to collect a backpack containing a map and a random weapon: a gun or an icepick, if they’re lucky, a paper fan or a shamisen banjo if they’re not. The students must compete to become the last person standing. The winner will leave the island with a lifetime pension; if there is more than one survivor, the collars will detonate. Some of the students choose suicide over submission. Most, eventually, comply and fight.

Takami was a fan of professional wrestling. He particularly enjoyed matches that involved wrestlers who made fleeting, mutually beneficial alliances, a style traditionally known as battle royal. There could be only one winner in a battle royal, so pacts were inevitably broken, lending each match a wary frisson. Takami saw a similar dynamic in adolescence, when friendships were easily formed and revoked. Forcing a group of classmates to destroy one another was provocative, but also strangely relatable. When he told a friend that he planned to call the book “Battle Royal,” his friend, confusing the term with a coffee drink, café royale, replied, “You mean ‘Battle Royale’?”

The novel proved controversial. In 1997, the judges of a Japanese writing prize passed on the manuscript, because it was too reminiscent of a recent murder, in Kobe, in which a fourteen-year-old boy impaled the head of another student on the gates of a school. But, in 1999, Ohta Publishing, a company known for provocative titles (it later published the memoir of the Kobe killer), released the book. It became an international best-seller; Stephen King named it to his summer reading list. In 2000, “Battle Royale” became a hit movie, starring Takeshi Kitano as the schoolteacher. Quentin Tarantino later called it one of his favorite films of all time.

Takami’s premise was well suited to video-game adaptation. The rules were clearly defined, the setting neatly contained, and competitive violence had been one of the medium’s primary currencies since the nineteen-sixties. Video-game technology, however, wasn’t quite up to par. In the early two-thousands, very few computers could simulate, in 3-D, the behavior of dozens of characters doing battle across an island, and very few Internet providers could calculate whether a banjo hurled by, say, Bob, in Kansas, would strike the head of Sven, in Stockholm.

Soon, though, such games would be more than possible: they would transform the industry. In 2020, Warzone, the Call of Duty series’ take on “Battle Royale,” attracted more than a hundred million active players, generating revenues of about three billion. The same year, Epic Games reported that Fortnite, its candy-colored, kid-friendly spin on “Battle Royale,” had three hundred and fifty million accounts—more than the population of the United States. (A recent lawsuit revealed that, when Fortnite was available on Apple devices, the game generated an estimated seven hundred million in App Store revenue.) Today, countless games, along with hit TV shows such as “Squid Game,” bear the stamp of “Battle Royale” ’s influence. Takami’s blueprint, drawn from a dream, has become one of the dominant paradigms in entertainment.

The story of that rise might begin in 2013, in Brazil, where Brendan Greene, an Irish Web designer, was living while saving up for a plane ticket home, following a divorce. Greene, who is assiduously private (his online moniker is PlayerUnknown), grew up on the Curragh Camp, an army training center in County Kildare, where his father served. He and his brothers played on the family’s Atari 2600 console “until it fell apart,” he told me, but he later fell out of love with games, which he felt were becoming too scripted—more like movies than the tests of skill and cunning he enjoyed. In Brazil, Greene was browsing Reddit when he read about DayZ, a punishing, survival-based video game that appealed to his desire for challenge. It was the first game he bought in years, and he quickly became obsessed.

DayZ was a mod, a new game built from the parts of an old one—in this case, a military-combat simulator called Arma 2. Mods, which are usually made by amateur enthusiasts, can be arcane and scrappy, but the scene is a hotbed for experimentation. DayZ’s game play fascinated Greene, who, despite lacking technical expertise, began to make his own mods to the mod. He added a fortress in the middle of the map; players would enter empty-handed, scavenge for weapons, then fight to the death. Unlike most competitive video games at the time, in which characters respawned after dying, Greene’s mod radically gave each player a single life. When you were out, you were out.

The rules evoked “The Hunger Games,” a series of books that share a similar premise to “Battle Royale.” (The series’ author, Suzanne Collins, has insisted that she was unaware of Takami’s work when she wrote the books). One of Greene’s collaborators suggested the title “Hunger Gamez,” but Greene had worked long enough in marketing to know he was “going to get sued if we did that,” he told me. While studying fine art in Dublin, Greene had watched “Battle Royale.” Recalling the film’s poster, which showed two schoolchildren, one holding an axe, the other a shotgun, he mocked up an image that placed his game’s character in a similar pose, alongside the text “DayZ: Battle Royale.”

Greene drew further inspiration from the film. He replaced his game’s fortress with a barn, and arranged twenty-four backpacks at its far end, each containing a grenade, a pistol, a bandage, or a chainsaw. At the beginning of a match, which lasted ninety minutes, the players arrived at one end of the barn. “If you were smart, you didn’t give a fuck about the backpacks and you just ran,” Greene told me. “But new players would rush forward. Someone would get the gun. Then everyone would be screaming.”

In Takami’s novel, portions of the island become off limits at regular intervals, forcing the classmates into smaller spaces. Greene wanted a similar way to narrow the field. Dividing the island into squares was beyond his programming ability, so he placed a tightening circle onto the map; if a player wandered outside it, their character would quickly expire. Each match now enjoyed a natural, exhilarating crescendo.

DayZ: Battle Royale went online in September, 2013. The game used six servers, which Greene managed by hand; he stayed awake for forty-eight hours at a time, acting as a virtual bouncer, allowing new players in and locking the room when it was full. An obscure nook of the Web became a coveted hangout. “People were waiting for hours, even days, to get in,” he recalled. Saqib Ali Zahid, a popular American video-game streamer known as Lirik, was an early player. “He kept coming back for one more game,” Greene said. “A guy of discerning taste like that . . . I was onto something.”

Greene’s mod soon caught the attention of industry professionals. On Twitter, he received a message from John Smedley, the then president of Sony Online Entertainment, who invited him to San Diego to design a battle-royale mode for H1Z1, a game in development. “Here was an opportunity to get my game in front of a global audience,” Greene told me. He joined as a consultant, but left after finding that the H1Z1 team had simplified his vision. Several other companies had become interested in making battle-royale games, and Greene worried that his idea was being wrested from his control. “I was, like, ‘Hello?’ ” he said.

In 2016, Greene received an e-mail from Changhan Kim, a game developer from South Korea, offering him the chance to make a battle royale to his specifications. That March, the day before his fortieth birthday, Greene immigrated to South Korea, and a year later his team released PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or pubg. pubg was based closely on Greene’s original mod, with a few elegant adjustments: a hundred players would now enter the map by jumping from a plane, allowing each to choose whether to head toward a popular area, for immediate tussling, or toward a more remote spot, to scavenge. The game was an immediate blockbuster, earning eleven million dollars in three days. In 2018, it passed a billion in sales.

To read or watch a battle royale is an intense experience. But to participate in one involves a different tier of exhilaration, which flings one between states of anguish and euphoria. The sense of being at once hunter and prey feels primal. The first time I played pubg, I forced my character to crouch in his underpants in a bush, hypervigilant for the sound of approaching footsteps. Eventually, having secured a shotgun and a few improving attachments, I trembled my way to the top of a hill, where I lay nauseous with adrenaline. After a while, another player stepped on my character. A brisk fusillade later, I was out.

“Often, in multiplayer games, you’re just running around, racking up points,” Frank Lantz, the founding director of the New York University Game Center, told me. “That works well, but it has a samey intensity, like a piece of music that starts out fast and stays fast. Battle royale has a built-in structure and dramatic arc.” In 2021, Lantz released a Scrabble-themed battle-royale game called Babble Royale, which he co-designed with his son. “In game design, you’re always looking for rules that interact in particularly interesting ways,” he told me. A battle royale’s steadily reducing map heightens a game’s intensity, and the fact that each player has a single life raises the stakes, making each victory unforgettable. “Every action matters,” the professional Call of Duty player Ben Perkin told me. “The closer you get to the end, the more invested you become on staying alive, for that rush of a win.”

Video games broadly fall into two categories: those which, like sports, emphasize competition, and those which, like films, emphasize storytelling. Battle royale is a rare harmonious combination, a mode that encourages both dynamic, dramatic vignettes and high-stakes rivalry. At Infinity Ward, the Los Angeles-based co-developer of the Call of Duty series, which has long established the template for online competitive shooting games, pubg was disruptive and divisive. “You could see it propagating through the office like wildfire,” Joe Cecot, the studio’s multiplayer-design director, said. “People were, like, ‘How do we make something like this? What would our twist on this be?’ ”

Introducing battle royale to a marquee series was a major risk. Call of Duty’s dominant mode had been Team Deathmatch, where two teams compete across small, carefully engineered environments, and where players can reënter the field a few moments after they’re eliminated. Battle royale, with its meandering combat and vast map, required a profound redesign. The team got to work on a new mode called Warzone, assigning six designers to build a large-scale environment using the game’s existing engine. (They loosely based the map on the Ukrainian city of Donetsk.) In order to introduce bullet drop-off over long distances, they rewrote the game’s ballistics system, and in the process realized that the series had sped up over the years, with characters running at about fifty miles per hour. In Warzone, this made it nearly impossible to hit a moving target at range. The animators installed a line of L.E.D. lights in the studio, which would trigger in sequence to show the speed at which characters ran; after attempting to race the lights, they reduced the top speed by twenty per cent, causing some on the team to balk. “One designer said to me, ‘Congratulations, you have ruined this game,’ ” Infinity Ward’s studio head, Patrick Kelly, told me.

The team also played with the established template. “We felt that battle royale was a bit too punishing,” Kelly said. “The fact you can randomly get shot in the head encourages players to hide until the herd is culled. That brutality promotes conservatism over action.” Inspired by a popular in-house mode, Kelly suggested that they introduce a kind of purgatory: eliminated players would be sent to a “gulag,” where they would take part in a one-on-one match against another loser, with the victor returning to action. This, too, was contentious. “We heard, ‘This is not battle royale—this is terrible,’ ” Kelly said.

The anxiety that Warzone would ruin the Call of Duty franchise was intense. One afternoon, Kelly was so preoccupied while driving home from the office that he ran into a stop sign, crashing his car. But when Warzone launched, in March, 2020, it became an immediate success, with more than six million downloads in twenty-four hours. “It was a transcendent moment,” Joel Emslie, the studio’s art director, told me. “It completely reënergized the franchise. Now the sky is the limit.”

One of battle royale’s virtues is its legibility: any onlooker can understand what’s happening, which is often not true with video games. On YouTube, the channel TopWARZONEMoments posts a daily twenty-minute-long highlight reel showing skilled or amusing moments of play. Within hours, each video attracts tens of thousands of views.

In the past, this straightforward voyeurism has occasionally been paired with political critique. Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” begins with a battle royale: a group of young Black men are blindfolded, then forced to fight in a basement for the amusement of drunk, wealthy white professionals. Even Takami’s book, though less overtly symbolic, uses the game to question the status quo. The novel takes place in a world where Japan won the Second World War, emerged as a Fascist power, and brutally suppressed any rebels; the battle royale is a military program meant to seed fear in the country’s youth. But Takami also targets the lure of conformity. His mother lived through the Second World War, and she told him that, though many citizens opposed Japan’s involvement, they feared the danger of protesting. “Even if a rule is clearly ridiculous, nobody will speak out against it,” he wrote later. In the novel, most of the students acquiesce to the game’s rules.

In the video-game medium, where players prize novelty—and, typically, not social commentary—the key to battle royale’s future may lie not in tweaking its rules but in deepening its story. In November, Activision released Warzone 2.0, which introduces some new mechanics. There’s now more than one safe circle, so players are herded into pockets of refuge, and it’s possible to interrogate downed opponents, making them reveal the position of their teammates. These embellishments add subtle points of difference, but it’s unlikely that they’ll energize the form. “Battle royale will now always be a part of the tool kit, in the same way that we’re never not going to have the fifty-two-card deck,” Lantz said. “But there’s not a lot of people making new games for the fifty-two-card deck. When a thirteen-year-old hears that there’s a new battle-royale game coming out today, it’s already a little bit boring. Like, you know, boomer stuff.”

#battle royale #batoru rowaiaru #takami koushun #fortnite #the hunger games #pubg #gaming #literature #manga #kinji fukasaku #article #text #dayz #call of duty #h1z1 #warzone

13 notes · View notes

atranswomansdiary · 4 months ago

Text

Day 24

June 29, 2020

Today I discovered the true meaning of happiness.

I’ve never been a happy person. I don’t consider myself a cynical or bitter person, though, despite what my mom or some other people may think. I try to treat people as well as I can, even though I think I’ve had a difficult life. Not impossibly difficult, mind you, but not easy either.

Out of all my friends and former partners, for example, I’d say that I’ve had the most difficult life, at least in terms of socioeconomic obstacles—basically a permanent lack of money—which somehow never hindered my development in many senses. I had many saving graces, on other hand. My family is the most functional out of all those that I’ve come to know but, even then, that doesn’t mean that it was really all that functional.

I think that, in perspective, I’ve been dealing with depression since my early adolescence. There were many factors that contributed to it but, of the top of my head, the most relevant are: hard bullying since late middle school (and throughout high school), plus some bullying and isolation during primary school as well. My mother’s untreated depression and my father’s psychological abuse, mostly in the form of stonewalling, gaslighting, and angry outbursts. My general isolation, loneliness and, I must say, the general feeling that I was always misunderstood.

This last point I think bears some expansion. I don’t know how common this, but I often daydreamed as a child that this was not my “real” family. That I had been adopted or was from somewhere else (Faërie or even another planet) or some such contrivance, inspired no doubt by the stuff I read in novels and watched in soap operas.

As the years passed—and my innocence, slowly but surely faded away—I came to accept the reality of my existence. This was my life. This was my family. These were my mother and father. And, I don’t think I realized it until very recently, this was a huge disappointment for me that I never truly recovered from. This feeling had little to do with my family and everything to do with me. And, specifically, my body and, as I’ve come to realize, my gender.

Today I was bored and alone, enjoying the last day of a long weekend, and because of an ad on social media (I think), I ended up downloading an app which allows you, among other things, to generate an "opposite gender" version of a photo.

With trepidation, excitement, and a sudden nervousness that wasn’t there before, I downloaded the app, as well one of my latest photos. I don’t take (or allow others to take) many photos of myself.

I uploaded this months-old photo into the app. The whole process must have taken a few seconds at most, but it felt way longer. Like, impossibly long. It felt like Christmas when I was a kid, when I’d be so excited about getting presents that I’d get literally sick of waiting.

And then the final picture appeared and I was done for.

I was smiling and then laughing. I got out of bed and started pacing around the apartment with a joy that I hadn’t felt in… Weeks? Months? Years?

Maybe ever?

I really believe I cannot faithfully put into the words the sheer joy, the absolute and perfect happiness that overcame me in that moment. It must be so little, so minor to you, but it meant everything to me.

[Note from the future: In retrospect, this was probably the moment that I realized, perhaps on a subconscious level, that I was trans. Cis people don’t get this level of joy, I think, when they see a photo of themselves.]

There are things I need to clarify here, I think. First: the joy had little to do with me looking “good” and everything to do with feeling like this was the first time I identified with a picture of myself. It felt like every other photo was of someone else that I’ve come to accept a myself but that, deep inside, I know is not me.

A poorly modified picture of myself that shows what I could look like if I were a woman is the best gift I’ve ever received, the greatest source of genuine, unadulterated happiness I’ve encountered. And this being so small yet so significant is, for me, the greatest clue that there is something important underneath it. My instinct tells me that I need to pay attention to this. That I need to investigate this, to get to the bottom of it.

What started as mere imagination and daydream has turned into something more. It’s like an itch I can’t scratch, a seed that has taken root and is growing, fast and strong and untameable. I have a feeling that, no matter what I or anybody else tries, it will be impossible to uproot.

Still, this must remain my secret… At least for now. Maybe one day I’ll feel confident enough to share it with someone in the dark of the night. in whispers that are never acknowledged under the light of day.

Until then, with love,

#trans woman #trans #transfem #transgender #transgirl #dear diary #journal entry #lgbtqia #queer

14 notes · View notes

marvelmaniac715 · 1 year ago

Text

This is part twenty of my Human Chucky au! I’m writing a more serious fic later, so this is just something fun to get my creative juices flowing and indulge the Swifty within me. Some may say that it’s unrealistic that Chucky listens to Taylor Swift, and to that I say - have you seen the man? He’s the most overdramatic bastard I’ve ever watched onscreen. Of course he listens to Taylor Swift and quotes the lyrics in his dramatic monologues to victims (particularly ‘I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream’). Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it :). Quick note - I don’t at all condone or encourage Chucky’s behaviour; the man is insane, but the scene where he takes tickets by force was a lot of fun to write XD.

————————————————————-

Chucky had a problem. He lived with two teenagers. That in itself wasn’t the problem, exactly, the problem was a curly haired blonde who had infiltrated his home, her voice blaring out of speakers and her eyes piercing his soul from a wide range of posters and album covers. Yes, Chucky’s problem was the singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

To be fair, he didn’t know all that much about her, his kids were obsessed, and Chucky didn’t really know how to respond whenever either Glen or Glenda would quote song lyrics at him or start gossiping about the singer’s latest breakup or relationship. Pop culture knowledge from the 2000s to the 2020s wasn’t exactly Chucky’s strong suit, he didn’t know Ed Sheeran or Lady Gaga or, to be honest, most popular singers or bands (although, he was quite partial to Panic! At The Disco, their song ‘Teenagers’ gave him a good laugh).

But one day, whilst venting to Tiffany about his inability to understand his children’s interests, his wife made the innocent suggestion of googling Taylor Swift to see what happened. He tried that, and there were millions of results. So, to narrow it down to the important details, he decided to post on every social media app and site he owned. His message read:

‘Swifties - help! I have two teenage children, and they’re absolutely obsessed with Taylor Swift. I’m a pretty old guy, and I know absolutely nothing about her, but I’m desperate to connect with my kids, so please, help me. I’m not asking much, I just need to know her most popular/famous songs and enough information about her to carry me through a ten minute conversation with my sixteen year olds who will absolutely rip me to shreds if I confidently give them incorrect information about a woman they’ve begun referring to as ‘Mother’. Any information you’re willing to share would be greatly appreciated.’

This message, born out of frantic panic, would change Chucky’s life forever.

————————————————————-

A great deal of information was sent Chucky’s way at an alarming rate. The Swifties, if nothing else, were extremely dedicated, and in no time at all, he knew everything there was to know about Miss Taylor Alison Swift, right down to her mother’s maiden name (it was Finlay). He had to say, despite initially embarking upon this great knowledge quest for the sole purpose of being able to talk to his children about their interests, he was actually becoming a big Taylor Swift fan - a Swifty.

Glen and Glenda were, of course, thrilled that their dad not only understood their references, but willingly and enthusiastically joining in with their conversations with opinions of his own. At least once a week the three would get into a big debate over which Taylor Swift era was the best, always arriving at the conclusion that every era was in fact the best.

Tiffany would never say it directly to her husband, but she was convinced that he was an even bigger fan of Taylor Swift than the twins…

————————————————————-

Glen peered at their father’s latest painting with a great deal of confusion.

“Uh, dad?”

Chucky looked up causally, brush still dipped into purple paint.

“Yeah, Glen?”

Glen cleared their throat, not really knowing how to approach this topic, but eventually going with:

“Is that Taylor Swift fan art?”

Chucky glanced back at his painting, which did, admittedly, quite resemble the album cover of ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ and frowned. Then, he turned to face Glen and protested weakly:

“It’s not… not Taylor Swift fan art.”

————————————————————-

Whilst Chucky was scrolling through social media, he found out about the upcoming Eras Tour. He asked the twins later that day if they wanted to go, and was quite surprised when Glenda burst out laughing and Glen looked down sadly at the floor. When he asked, with a great deal of confusion, what was wrong, Glenda laughed again, bitterly, and deadpanned:

“Dad, those tickets are like gold dust. It’s never gonna happen.”

Immediately agreeing with their twin, Glen hummed under their breath and nodded before sadly remarking:

“You left it too late to try and get tickets. Glenda and I tried to get some months ago back when they were on presale and we didn’t manage. You’re not gonna get them, I’m sorry.”

Seeing this as a challenge, Chucky wrapped an arm around each of his children, flashed them the same smile he’d given them just before beating one of their classmate’s dads in an arm wrestling contest with a prize of $20 and quite confidently told them:

“Don’t worry, your dad can do anything.”

————————————————————-

Chucky could not, in fact, do absolutely anything. He’d spend hours, days even, trying to find Eras Tour tickets, but his search was unsuccessful no matter what he tried. He almost gave up, but then he overheard a stranger in a coffee shop say that she was taking her two kids to the Eras Tour. Now, Chucky had mostly put his serial killer ways behind him, but he was a man on the edge - he was getting those tickets if it killed him.

When he had finished his coffee, Chucky began covertly stalking the woman, watching her every move. It was the dullest thing he’d willingly done in years, but the prize at the end would be so, so worth it. Thirty dismal minutes passed as the woman sipped her latte and gossiped with the friend she had brought with her. But eventually, Chucky’s salvation came as the woman excused herself to go to the bathroom. He didn’t follow her into the bathroom, that would have been weird, but instead he lingered outside, pretending to be waiting for the men’s room, and when the woman walked out, Chucky struck.

With one hand, he pinned the woman by the throat against a wall, and with the other he yanked her bag off of her to search for the tickets. The entire time, the woman stared fearfully at him with wide, tear-filled brown eyes. Bottom lip quivering, the woman pitifully croaked:

“P-please… I have a family.”

In a dismissive tone, Chucky responded:

“I’m not trying to kill you, I’m looking for the tickets.”

This momentarily broke the woman out of her panic as she asked in confusion:

“What?”

At this exact moment, Chucky had emptied out the woman’s bag and her wallet, still finding absolutely nothing, so he glared up at her and growled:

“The tickets, where are they? What have you done with them?”

The woman was still extremely confused as she whimpered:

“What tickets?”

Chucky tightened his grip around the woman’s throat and repeated, practically foaming at the mouth in his rage:

“The Eras Tour tickets. Where are they, woman? Come on, you can’t be that dense!”

A glimmer of understanding flashed in the woman’s eyes as she stuttered:

“They’re- they’re on my phone. They’re digital tickets. Do you want me to send them to you or something?”

Chucky nearly nodded, but then he remembered that he got a lot of emails and texts every day, and screenshots might not be valid as proof of ticket ownership, so instead he shook his head and decided:

“No, it’s simpler if I just take the phone.”

The woman barely had time to comprehend this before Chucky had grabbed her phone from her bag, given her a faux-polite smile and ran off, yelling over his shoulder:

“Thank you for your cooperation!”

————————————————————-

Tiffany was incredibly startled when her husband grabbed her by the arm one day and dragged her into his studio without a word. She was even more confused and startled when he looked at her, incredibly seriously, and informed her that he required her specific set of expertise one last time. Her mind, of course, immediately jumped to killing as she whispered:

“Do- do you mean you need my help with killing?”

Chucky looked confused then, furrowing his brow as he said:

“Uh, if you mean killing it at the concert, then yeah.”

Oh, he was looking for fashion advice. That was honestly the last thing Tiffany thought that Chucky would ask her to help with. She immediately and enthusiastically agreed to help him, but regretted her choice almost as fast as she’d agreed to it when her husband, a man who had never really seemed the type to care about what he wore, always throwing on the thing that was closest to him from his closet, pulled out a set of mood boards and began to explain his options to her in immense detail:

“Now, this one says ‘I’m a badass who appreciates good music’, whereas this one takes inspiration from the Lovers album and says ‘I’ve got a sensitive side’…”

#chucky #chucky series #childs play #seed of chucky #charles lee ray #tiffany valentine #chiffany #human chucky #human tiffany #glen ray #glenda ray #horror #fanfiction #human au #taylor swift #humour

9 notes · View notes

aspiring-holistic-otaku · 1 year ago

Text

Season 2 Ramble#6 - Just Jump In! ver.2

This month’s episode is about Shueisha publishing company's JUMP magazine line. you can use the link above or check the link in my bio to listen on other platforms 🍻

first some bare bones Jump basics:

What is JUMP? - JUMP is a magazine line with hella content for hella demographics and for the record they're not all comics, shueisha is actually a pretty diverse publishing company

Today though, we'll only be looking at two of their products. the Weekly Shonen Jump(WSJ) magazine, in print since 1968 with a main target audience of young boys, shonen literally being japanese for young boy, as well as their SHONEN JUMP+ app, which first launched in 2014 and has a main target audience of older adolescent lads.. The original + app is in Japanese as far as I understand but they released a follow up in 2019 simply called MANGA+.. also even though they have "main" target audiences they both have works that try to appeal to wider demographics + things sometimes move between lines or even appear on both at the same time.

This month I purposefully read manga from different time periods which gave rise to one mini section and three main sections which i’ll describe as I get to them

NOW JUMPING RIGHT IN!

New Manga Read This Month

mini section

Was this axed? Why was this axed?:

top 1

Magu chan: god of destruction(Kei Kamiki, 2020, 78 chapters)

this story follows the main heroine ruru after she finds and accidently unseals the now weakened god of destruction mag MENUek. not the best art or really the deepest characters but it's a gag manga. actually didn't think I'd enjoy this at all but it's pretty funny, got a lot of genuine hearty laughs pretty much every chapter... (pretty decent run at 78 chapters but after I finished I couldn't believe it got axed, definitely would've liked more but ironically it probably got axed because of folks like me...)

honourable mentions:

hell warden higuma, ginka & gluna, neolation

Ok so "main" sections now, starting with

Way Way Back (1960s - 1980s):

top 1

Mazinger Z (Gou Nagai,1972, 33 chapters)[Devilman Crybaby]

The story here is our mc, KOUji KAbuto, has a genius grandad who built the most powerful robot ever, Mazinger Z, but he dies in a sudden devastating earthquake before he can teach him how to use it. The only thing he's able to tell him before he passes is that with the robot comes power and with that power comes a choice, to be a god that saves humanity or a devil that destroys the earth.

Right off the bat the art wasn’t anything great or even particularly good but with really old stuff, especially things aimed at children, I think simpler art styles are to be expected. I did really like the robot designs tho, nothing too slick or fancy but they had an old quaint vibe like awww look at what grandpa drew…

The characters weren’t much either, as I said stupid simple story, giant robots doing cool giant robot stuff, so most of what would be the story of most characters was already in their designs like you see the main character and know they're the main character because he has that cool spiky cyborg 009 hairstyle etc.

not much more to say, kinda funny, surprisingly bloody given my perception of the time period and what I thought their perception of media was, especially media intended for kids.. but yh,, the whole manga can be summed up with giant robots have always been pretty cool… grain of salt though for those who plan to check it out, yes I thought it an enjoyable read but it was really only my top 1 because I could pretty much only find two things to read from this time period as the older manga are almost impossible to find on the internet.

honourable mention:

Dr.Slump (Akira Toriyama , 1980, 236 chapters)

Wasn't That Just The Other Day? (1990s - 2010s):

top 1

Bakuman(Oh! Great, 2008, 176 chapters)

Actually not my first time trying this, started back in hs but stopped for reasons I can't recall, I only remember thinking it was excellent which makes it all the more confusing but in any case I started over from the jump and I'm really glad I did.

This is a manga about making manga. I'm telling you man these Japanese dudes will make a manga about anything. trust.. Anyways the story here follows two main characters Mashiro and Takagi, and starts with them about to enter highschool. Takagi is the smartest in school since day one, expected to excel in life, and Mashiro has nothing. no goals or ambitions. he's just trying to come to terms with the mundane normalcy of life and society's expectations of what that should looks like. one day Mashiro leaves a book at school and Takagi, who unbeknownst to anyone is an aspiring writer, finds it full of amazing art and begs him to team up and make manga… Will they make it? and what exactly does it take to make it anyways? what even is "it"? (find out next time on read the manga and see!!)

Two things initially pulled me all those years ago, one, was a morbid curiosity, like I just couldn't fathom a manga about making manga being good in an entertaining way. like yh it's probably mad educational and it was, but as much as you can learn from any media the main reason I'm reading manga is to be entertained. two, oh! great did death note and again I just couldn't fathom the jump from mystery thriller about police vs death gods to this but man did they pull it off in style

First thing first the art was phenomenal as those familiar with oh! great works would expect. and I have to be clear, when I say oh! great does great art I mean Takeshi Obata does great art. oh! great is a duo between him and Tsugumi Ooba who did an equally good job on the story. like he basically showed us how the proverbial sausage is made without making us disinterested in the sausage. It actually instilled such a deeper appreciation for the process that I feel like all manga I read after this will be that much more enriching. especially shonen as the different creators in story debate and create what they think the genre should look like.

Great cast of characters, funny, serious, rivals, people you hated, people you loved, great sub plots that had them all interacting in a nice dynamic way, like it didn't feel like the two mcs were the cause and effect of everything. Great pacing as well as we get to see their journey from just trying something in highschool to getting their foot in the door in later years and so on. didn't feel rushed or dragged, it was nice to see a lot of the little ups and downs of life instead of just a cycle between highlights and rock bottoms.

I have to give fair warning and say it's pretty text heavy. even for something that's not kick and punch cause most of the time they're plotting out some manga or something but Obata really does a great job here making good use of panels and even speech bubble placement so it never really feels crowded unless it's meant to illustrate something like an argument or so. it also helped that despite his usual pretty realistic art style, he allowed characters to be toony when needed to lighten the mood or heighten some expression in just the right way

Honestly it's still so crazy that they pulled it off and pulled it off so well. I think ultimately it was the humanity of it that really tied everything together,, like yh they're manga artist but they're human first, and it's their human experiences that in the end feed into the art.

Talked a lot on this one.. that's why it was top 1 ig.. as usual I don't think I can speak enough to why exactly it's so great but yh… definitely highly recommend even if only out of morbid curiosity like you're thinking,, no way a manga about making manga is good. it is.

honourable mentions:

level e (Yoshihiro Togashi, 1995, 16 chapters),

Cowa!(Akira Toriyama, 1997, 14 chapters)

Hoshin Engi (...lol not that honourable ig)

...also just want to squeeze in that I actually tried bobobobo and wow… my brain may never recover…

What's Up Today? (2010s - present)

top 1

Astra Lost in Space (Kenta Shinohara on story & art, 2016, 53 chapters)

9 kids are brought to a nearby planet for a routine unsupervised camping trip as part of their highschool graduation. The future is wild. As plot convenience would have it, something goes wrong and they end up stranded in space. A rough enough situation on its own, but to make matters worse, the group finds signs that what happened was no accident and that the perpetrator is still among them..

Honestly a simple setup and premise, literally Lost but in space… not that I've actually watched lost but yh. anyways for as simple as the plot is the entire story wrapped up in 53 chapters anyways and they honestly squeezed every drop out of it that they could. What really stood out to me was how balanced it all felt.

As in the premise of being intentionally stranded is by no means unique but I feel like a lot of the media I've consumed around that tend to lean into one aspect more than others, like it becomes mostly about the mystery trying to find "whodunnit", or the focus becomes the sense of adventure, exploring the unknown and all that oor,, how it goes more commonly, in my experience at least, is a portrayal of the harshness of survival in the physical or mental sense.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that btw, the premise of being lost is used in many genres and it's up to the author to decide how much they want to lean into any genre. for example drifting net cafe, suicide island and dragon head are some lost horror type beats I've read, enjoyed and would definitely recommend.

In any case as I was saying about Astra lost in space, cause that's what I should be talking about here… is I loved how balanced it all was. Yes they're stranded and have to survive but it's not so overbearing that we can't take in the adventure of the unknown and yes we're seeing all these cool sights and different hypothetical evolutionary paths in space but also let's all be aware that one of us is probably plotting a murder yk? what tied this all up were the characters themselves like they felt really natural, yh a lot was going on but they're still just kids and they were sent out for a camping trip in the first place so come hell or high water they were gonna have some amount of fun or die trying. not that everyone was always on the same page and they didn't have disagreements and drama and so on but their individual quirks and character traits converged and diverged masterfully for a beautiful dynamic between the cast amongst themselves, and between the cast and their environment.

great cast and direction as I said, pretty standard art, nothing too crazy but it did what it needed to do, I also liked the little 4 panel bonus comics they did every now and then as well, all in all a pretty great read with some pretty neat twists I won't even allude to for fear of spoilers, especially for how short it was but yh, astra lost in space top 1 new read this month…

honourable mentions:

Akane Banashi(Yuuki SUEnaga doing the story & Takamasa Moue on art, 2022, ongoing 71 chapters)

'Tis time for "torture" princess ( Robinson haruhara on story and hirakei on art, 2019, ongoing 196 chapters)

Sakamoto Days(Yuuto Suzuki , 2020, ongoing 128 chapters),

ok now we're heading into

Manga Read Before This Month

(here I'll give less detail cause I would have mentioned a few of these repeatedly before + I want more of the shine on newer stuff tbh)

mini section

Was this axed? Why was this axed?:

top 1

Psyren(Toshiaki lwashiro, 2007, 151 chapters)

people are going missing and a secret society called psyren seems to be responsible. won't go farther than that but will say it's held up as one of the best shonen works I've ever read since the first time I read it in like 9 or 10th grade. still in disbelief that it was canceled cause you can barely tell when you read it. it's only after I finished it and was looking into some things I realised.

honourable mentions:

ayashimon, phantom seer, black torch

main sections

way way back (1960s - 80s):

top 1

Dragon Ball(Akira Toriyama, 520 chapters,1984)

don't think I need to say much here but I mention the sandwich of technique in the episode.

honourable mentions:

JJBA part1-3, Saint Seiya, city hunter

wasn't that just the other day (1990s - 2010s)

top 1

Rookies(Morita Masanori, 1998, 233 chapters)

delinquent baseball, real heartwarming story, great art cast and pacing, masanori really takes the cake when it comes to the delinquent aesthetic but yh… was my #2 in s1 ramble 12 & #3 in s1 ramble 1

honourable mentions:

eyeshield 21, slam dunk, Yu yu hakusho

what's up today? (2010s - present)

chainsaw man (tatsuki fujimoto, 2018, 137 ongoing)

look at the title lol

honourable mentions

fire punch, Tokyo ghoul series, My hero academia

other folks to check out on twitter:

https://twitter.com/KushiKuritikaru?t=2Tn-79ub0XyUqWM3XgEFWA&s=09

https://twitter.com/manga_crash?t=FzKQrpvb_rFwxHIe13Sqbw&s=09

then as usual I do a little part 2 where I ramble a bit 😅

thanks for reading so far, hope there's something that caught your fancy 🍻🍻🍻

7 notes · View notes

medusasbush · 2 years ago

Text

read in february 2023

articles (ones behind a paywall are linked through webpage archive):

I'm Intersex. Here's How I Have Sex.

What Is a Nepotism Baby Anyway? (reminded me of the hollywood inbreeding 101 portion of Carrie FIsher's Wishful Drinking)

Your Stuff is Actually Worse Now: How the cult of consumerism ushered in an era of badly made products.

If You Think Tacos Aren't Healthy, We Have News for You

Deeper into Movies: What Have I Been Watching

How Dolly Parton became a secular American saint

Springtime for the Confederacy

Comedy movies rarely make it to theaters today. Here’s why.

A Short Guide to Living More Pointlessly

Another Side of Rupert Grint

What Is a Narcissist?

Videos of Police Brutality Against Black People Are a Futile Spectacle in White America

Trump proposes genocidal national ban on transgender existence if he wins 2024

The super-kinkeepers (& kinkeeping matrix)

The soothing, slightly sinister world of productivity hacks

We're Already Living in the Metaverse

Doc Filmmakers Reckon with the Industry's Murky Ethics

The Band That Best Captures the Sound of the ’70s

The Number One's: Blondie's Rapture

Meat Loaf Owned the Power Ballad

Dating apps have created a culture of entitlement

America's Dangerous Obsession with Innocence

The War on Bollywood

Restoring the Sex and Rage to Jane Austen

Modern Porn Education Is Totally Unprepared for Modern Porn

Parents Need to Talk to Their Kids About Porn

The Porn Crisis That Isn't

Why Porn Has Gotten So Rough

Memoria and the Limitations of Ebert’s Empathy Machine

Is it Possible for a Fanboy to Be a Good Critic?

The people weeding out first dates with a questionnaire

The Anxious Style of American Parenting

Big commitments loosely held

The Junkification of Amazon

The Relentlessness of Modern Parenting

From Tokyo to Paris, Parents Tell Americans to Chill

I guess this turned into a love letter

'Lord' of racism?

The Man Behind the Myth: Should We Question the Hero’s Journey?

AMC is about to make paying for theater seats more like booking an airline ticket

The mounting, undeniable Me Too backlash

Lucky girl syndrome and the endless rebranding of “The Secret”

Stuck in 2020, pretending it’s 2014

No Sex for You: Life in the metaverse will be tacky, prudish, and dull

Sarah's Day in the Life

The Last of Us: Perspectives from an epidemiologist and a plant scientist

Marriage Is Not a Replacement For the Social Safety Net

Gwen Stefani, Ariana Grande, Madonna: The Holy Trinity of Famous Italian American Culture Vultures

How Christopher Columbus Became an Italian-American Icon

Everyone Is Grotesque and No One Is Turned On

Madonna's Face is Not Subversive

The NYT Op-Ed I Just Took A Kill Fee For.

The Whale does all but "giving a voice" to fat people

I Tried Jane Fonda’s ‘80s Workout Tapes To See How They Hold Up.

De-Influencing De-Influencing

TikTok’s De-Influencers Tell You What Not to Buy

The Curious Tale of the Midsize Queen

The Tragedy of Woke Shakespeare

books

the names up on the harp: irish myth and legend by P.J. Lynch, Marie Heaney (reread)

bitten: dark erotic stories by susie bright (started)

#s #read lists #articles #did not achieve the goal of reading more books in february whoops oh well life goes on

16 notes · View notes

chillingcinemachronicles · 1 year ago

Text

Best Animated Movies on Netflix for a Visual Feast

1. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Director: Joel Crawford

Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillén, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Wagner Moura

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

Sequels released over a decade after the first film are always a gamble, but Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was one of multiple films from 2022 (Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water) that actually improved upon its predecessor. Eleven years after the first Puss in Boots, the eponymous rascally cat has now burned through eight of his nine lives on his various adventures, reteaming with Kitty Softpaws in pursuit of the Last Wish, which would restore his lives. Along the way, he tries to outrun Goldilocks — hoping to attain the Last Wish for herself — and a menacing wolf who mysteriously stalks Puss. Like other DreamWorks films post-Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the blend of 2-D and 3-D is striking in its visual texture, particularly in action sequences, but its darkly authentic themes of anxiety and the value of friendship resonate most of all.

2. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: David Soren

Cast: Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Nick Kroll, Thomas Middleditch, Jordan Peele, Kristen Schaal

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

The wildly popular Captain Underpants book series has kept kids entertained since 1997, but it wasn't until 20 years later that the tighty-whities-clad hero made it to the big screen. The First Epic Movie centers on George and Harold, fourth-grader best friends who create the Captain Underpants comic book and hypnotize their strict principal into becoming the superhero — who doesn't actually have superpowers. Kid-friendly without being too mind-numbing to their parents, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie has "charm to spare," praises EW's critic, noting it works "mostly because it never tries to be more or less than what it is." It also spawned a series on Netflix, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, which ran from 2018 to 2020.

3. The Angry Birds Movie (2016)

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly

Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Kate McKinnon, Sean Penn, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Bill Hader, Peter Dinklage

While it may be damning with faint praise to give credit to The Angry Birds Movie for not being a total disaster...it really could've been much worse. Based on the wildly popular app of the same name, the film follows Red (voiced by Jason Sudeikis), a talking bird who comes to suspect that his island's new pig inhabitants have malicious intent. Your mileage may vary depending on your tolerance for punny/juvenile humor, but as EW's review notes, the film "delivers a mildly diverting mix of winky meta-jokes and moral lessons, cannily aimed at both the next generation of tiny consumers and their more sophisticated parents.

4. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)

Director: Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson

Cast: Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton

Codirectors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson transport the classic story of Pinocchio to World War II-era Italy in this meticulously crafted stop-motion animated film. Following the death of his young son, carpenter Geppetto cuts down a tree and carves a wooden boy, who is subsequently brought to life and dubbed Pinocchio. As the boy ventures to the outside world, he is met with dark forces that attempt to use and corrupt him, all against the backdrop of Benito Mussolini's reign as leader of Fascist Italy. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is a darker take on the tale compared to the well-known Disney adaptation (which also received a far-inferior live-action remake in 2022). From the fraught setting to the detailed creature designs, del Toro and Gustafson create a distinct world while providing valuable life lessons to viewers of all ages. The film became the first Netflix production to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

5. The Sea Beast (2022)

Director: Chris Williams

Cast: Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

A brave orphan girl named Maisie stows away aboard a ship of sea monster hunters in The Sea Beast, helmed by Big Hero 6's co-director Chris Williams. The sailors are renowned for their hunting abilities, though their status is threatened by their society's admiral, who wishes to replace them. They go out on one last hunt to track down a powerful sea beast called the Red Bluster, but, as Maisie soon discovers, the creatures may not have the kind of malicious intent for which they've come to be known. With dazzling colors, fast-paced thrills, and classical storytelling, it's easy to see why The Sea Beast became Netflix's most watched animated original film as of October 2022, according to the streamer. The film also earned a Best Animated Feature nomination at the Oscars, following a wave of critical praise.

#netflix #movies #film #top 5 #animation movies

2 notes · View notes

sunnywalnut · 4 months ago

Text

Also like. Being "stupid" is not the kids faults. It's the government.

Quite literally.

They're defunding schools, getting rid of certain parts of the learning rubric (like phonics. These kids aren't taught phonics anymore! No wonder so many of them struggle with reading.) and also they're growing up through covid??? They've literally had the world shut down in some of the most important developmental parts of their lives.

I myself was 16. Some of these kids were in elementary school. And now they're expected to go straight into highschool with no problems???

And if you think I'm overreacting. It's been four years since 2020.

Most middle schools in my area only last 3 years.

And in fifth grade, these kids were only around 9/10 years old.

Imagine jumping from 9 to 13 without being able to make friends, or ask your teachers all your silly questions, or learn about how to act in public. And everything's closed, so you really can't practice. So you forget.

And sure. Your parents are trying their best. They're hanging with you over the computer while you email countless teachers and help desks because your "class" won't load. They're trying to explain to you how to do science and math and history, but every single question they answer is wrong... Somehow. But you can't do it yourself because the video you're supposed to be watching doesn't explain it in a way that makes sense. And they've also been trying to make sure that you can face time with your friends from before, and also your cousins and other kids your age. Except all your friends are changing and you don't really share the same interests anymore. And you don't really have many ways of talking to new people, either.

Unless you want to go online.

Which is fine and dandy in all, but you also have to factor in the fact that safe Internet practice really isn't being shoved in our faces nowadays. There's no warning sign on our websites anymore saying hey! Remember not to share your name or age!! Or make it your username or password!! Because people can use that to hurt you!! And anyone as young as seven can be found on TikTok and Roblox, and everything else. You can see their faces and everything. Who's teaching them not to show their faces?? Who's warning them about the bad people online?? No one. Because they think that everyone already knows.

They think that a simple warning of "you must be 12 or older to make an account" is enough. As if someone who is 10 won't just lie. I'VE lied. We ALL have! But we also had a pretty good idea not to actually share anything that would expose our lie. Because it was enforced more firmly. And because websites and apps were regulated by actual people. Not ai.

In fewer words; kids today aren't "dumb" by choice. They were set up for this shit by adults who have decided to skimp out on education.

watching gen z and millennials make fun of gen alpha has been torturous. "But they're actually stupid" 1. theyre middle schoolers 2. isn't that what older gens said about us? don't you remember being 11?

it truly is just "impulse reaction to cringe <- has not yet unlearned shame"

the cycle continues let me out of here

guys. guys I think we should kill cringe culture

#text post #generation wars are dumb

85K notes · View notes

boyfhee · 5 months ago

Note

manifesto was definitely one of the best eras of enhypen, i love them. it still doesnt feel real that they are coming back with their full length album :( my bois grew so well...

i watched true beauty and i lost interest in it during its finale time.. you right that it was clear + i havent watched 20th century girl but the clips were definitely heart breaking and worthy to watch, ill give it a try. speaking of business proposal, i love that one scene, he takes his glasses off, it's done for me. the second lead couple are married in my head 😌 and the manhwa??? they have kids?? what 😭😭😭😭 i will read it if you just tell me where ?? and i want to read manhwas but i dont know where to read them.. tell me the websites or apps you use to read manhwas 😊👍🏼

hmm, i didnt read manhwas but i definitely read webtoons back in 2020... i discovered them when i got into kpop soo, even i lost interest in them, i used to read opertion true love and stopped reading it due to exams + these two webtoons: the guy upstairs and hello baby, i like them... i really havent discovered much of webtoon since i lost interest, but shorely i want to get back into reading them, hehe.

i listened to a few exo songs and listen to nct once in a while, i dont know the members but i think the sasaengs should leave him alone but he is doing a good thing by reveal them :) but sm did something saying renjun actions were lame?? idk... pls tell me if i am wrong tho- and for jay, i fell for him in iland, the ras leader 😌 i too have a lot of reasons hehe but i fell for his stubbornness (similar to my dad, hehe.)

i agree with you but pls dont scold me but i havent watched haikyuu despite it being a huge hit, maybe it's just not into my interest... maybe in the future i might watch it soo.... and i also did not watch forest of fireflies, it is sad and the sole reason was i did not want to cry days remembering the scenes, but i will defnitelg watch it and tell you, sweetheart :) and i should tell you, the historical romance — my happy marraige is so cute 😭😭😭😭 like kiyoko is so gentle with miyo... you watch the rest, i recommended you to watch it and can't believe seasosn2 is in the works 🫶🏼🫶🏼

hmm, if i were you, i would have bought the album, i recently got into books because of bookstagram :0 the reels are so hot but most of the books are 18+ so i need find fluff + romance, that is why i want to read classics at the moment haha...

— lover club anon <33 take your time to answer, muah

apologies for the extremely late reply, i didn't want to rush and give a half-assed answer TT i miss you and i hope you've been well :] manifesto didn't get the love she deserved :< it's truly one of their best albums, and i'm super excited for romance : untold omg ><

AND YES business proposal, what's wrong with secretary kim, sixth sense kiss, see you in my nineteenth life, marry my husband— they all have manhwas and they are better than the shows in my opinion. also .. the second lead couple of business proposal are actually married in the manhwa :D they have kids too ^_^ i won't spoil much, but you can read it here. omg now i'm going to read it again tonight .. i miss my babies >< also if you need manhwa recs please let me know. i have so many amazing ones i would like you to read and then gush about with me :>

i need to catch up on otl TT i started guy upstairs and hello baby too but i got bored. i'm more into this office / historical setting hehe you should read webtoons / manhwas if you have time :O they're cute and fun .. unless you get addicted and start binge reading which i do :">

i haven't been keeping up with nct so i only know that renjun has been pretty vocal about sasaengs lately which is a good thing, but i don't know anything about sm's response TT fuck it if they say it's lame, renjun did the right thing by exposing them :/

and it's ok if you haven't watched haikyuu !!! i used to think anime was so lame but my friends talked about hq all the time so i gave it a shot and how i'm six ft deep in the hole TT it's cute and funny, also very endearing so i would definitely recommend it .. however watching it or not is your choice >< also, there was this phase when i was so obsessed with anime movies ?? i watched forest of fireflies, your name, kiki's delivery service, howl's moving castle, a whisker away, weathering with you, five centimeters per second ( all time fav .. made me cry so much ) and i have a lot more i want to watch :D

i love my happy marriage so much it's so adorable >< also one of my favourite tropes / genres .. i will definitely watch the rest and i'm super excited for the next season ^_^

i don't take recs from bookstagram or booktok O_O mostly because they talk about romance with smut and i don't read romance novels. i mostly read murakami, osamu dazai, fyodor dostoevsky, or simply any crime / psych / thriller novelist ^^

#⠀ㅤㅤㅤ⠀ㅤㅤㅤsecrets & 𝒽er ฅ ฅ : lover club anon

1 note · View note

lifeofagirlnameddan · 6 months ago

Text

This Life

2019-2024 Did you ever find yourself trapped in a loop? Perhaps in ways you don't expect. Dan did. She never realized that she was trapped in a loop of love, pain, abandonment and loneliness.

Grade 6:

Was it real friends? I see everyday and find ways to make sure we have something to talk about so they dont find me boring. I fought a lot with others, I liked a boy who always asked me for help and advice when it comes to two things: His homework, and the girls he's pursuing. I got influenced into many things, got into trouble many times. Was I an introvert? A shy girl? I called myself a loser, a geek, whatever (Hah I was a theater kid if you get my reference.) Being that I am, I got exposed online-- in a bad way. I learned things I shouldn't be learning, and I was talking to people online where I shouldn't have been at that age. There was someone I met online, he understood my musical references and without thinking I joked that I've found my "soulmate". Boy was I stupid. While crushing on a classmate, I kept up my chats with this online friend. Oh it was getting bad... Chat me up, all day, all night. It was fun, I was being sneaky. Oh calls and video calls, voice message and more. Then he starts asking for pictures... Pictures Pictures Pictures. Ah so wrong what have I done? Not just that but a friend of mine was a very bad influence, I am not so sure what he was-- A friend? An enemy? I can't tell. I should have stopped myself, but oh how I liked the attention? May 14, 2019

It was class crush's birthday, it's summer and I just woke up. Oh no- mom drags me out my bed, shoves my phone to my face. The fear plastered on my face! She slaps my cheek, throws the phone to the window (I'm shocked it didn't break!) Ah bad bad bad time, she found out about Online boy. It was for the best. We didn't even love each other lol, he just asked for pictures and I...was a desperate child who wanted attention.

New Life: Mom took me out of that school, removed all my socials, and cut me out of society.

Grade 7: Starting my highschool life in homeschool

Ah it was fine, I had my own schedule. I was doing fine, I became a better student. I'm okay with this life... I have no teachers and classmates though, it was just me and the professors in the pre-recorded videos. My desk and my laptop and...Google (ahaha). Oh my, I'm lonely... But oh hey, I learned about Quotev, Ao3, and Wattpad...! Oh no. Here we go? I read, and read and read and read and read and read! This is my life now... I started hoarding books~ With that, I got into role play--(we all go through this dont act like im a weirdo) And I fell in love...with writing. I started working on an idea that based on a What If question I had at one of the sleepovers I had with my cousin (She made me watch animes and we role played together and wrote different short stories)

2020-2021

Grade 8-Grade 9: No friends like Fiction, Am I right?

I forgot how to be human, oh if you all could see... Long hair, glasses, dark clothes, nose stuck in a book, no sleep at all-- From the morning I studied and studied, at night I read til bed. Did I enjoy it? Yes. But at the present now, it is only a feeling. I don't recall what I read, I don't even remember what my brain rots were about! I continued my story ideas, brainstorming with my cousin actively (Oh which reminds me. Since I had no phone nor any socials, I chatted her through emails, hangouts, skype and pinterest--Ikr those were desperate times if I had no phone...) So yeah, we continued that story...Thats one year of working on it and it seemed pretty good. Life was okay like this...

Okay not really, so I mentioned I was into role play and that I would chat my cousin on pinterest. I was finally trusted to have a phone again but no socials still. But since I had pinterest...That meant I found someone to role play with me in that app... Goodness i'm stupid! So sneaky once again, a little bit of role play getting a little twisted and wrong in so many ways. Ah here's the shocker, I was talking to a GIRL! Oh this was the start... Of so many more problems. My mom found out about this one and once again, no phone (wahhh TT) But it was only for about what two? three...no four? I think six months yes. So how did I message my cousin? Well this was the time of the pandemic and jobs were hard to find... My dad took up a delivery job! So I wrote letters to her and had it sent weekly--It was creative and fun to do so. We traded books and wrote updates on our lives. I miss her. Back to topic, I can NOT be trusted with a phone haha. But I was anyway... and oh... no no, Homeschool was fun and all but I'm always alone. My family realized that and forced me to join christmas parties, camps and clubs and gathering... Nothing amusing for me I meet people, I laugh, they think I made a friend...I never speak to them again. Funny right? Anyway I joined an art club from my school which was online, that and a Writers Guild. The art community is in a group chat so guess what... My phone was given back to me, there I met a friend (Lets call him J) He requests collaborations with me and I was always happy to help a fellow artist. Oh yes don't worry, J is a good fellow and is still a very present and active friend to me right now. But there was a time that J invited me to join his discord server (ah yes my cousin introduced me to Discord) So I did join J's server full of other homeschool artists, it seems that it was a DnD role play group and he wanted us artists to play some roles! Oh sure of course, I agreed. I met his friend. (Lets call him Cat) Cat and I did not get along, oh no we started off quite weirdly. But oddly enough that feisty banters we have lead to something... Aha you see where I'm going? Yes Stupid once again was I! We knew each other for what...A year? after that stuff happened and...we got together and lasted...three months.

May 2, 2022

Ah it was a Sunday I'll never forget. I had a meeting with J and Cat online, J had some concerns he wanted to address. Ah...He felt like we shouldn't be together because he fears of the worst outcome for his friends... I didn't listen to him... I didn't...when I should have!!! I was supposed to continue the meeting but then my mom took my phone! (ARGH for the best but I hated it when it was so random and snoopy) She found out about me and Cat... aha again? Okay, again. But it gets worse. Oh it was a fight, she took my phone again and I stayed crying in my room until lunch time. She refused to see me, okay so in a whirl of emotions what did I do...? I was dumb so so dumb. I put on my slippers, grabbed the nearest bag and left. I ran away. (Worst case scenario, this is during Covid. I was in my pajamas, and I was wearing nothing but my bra inside my sweater. Oh and the bag I took? It had no money, nothing inside except... My old Harry Potter figurines! I had my smart watch on but it was dying!) So yes, I ran away. I walked and walked thinking, where should I go? So I walked headed towards a tower from my view, okay I'm almost there, I took an overpass and got lost. Hmmm, I planned to take a bus, oh but I have no money... Two men approached me. Oh shit. Oh they're trying to help me because Idfk where I'm going! They're asking for my destination, I say where, and one of them took their helmet, gave it to me, and gave me a ride on his motorbike. (First time to ride one by the way) I got to where I was headed, he asked me why am I headed there? I need a lie! I said I was going to meet my dad there. So he left me at the place of which I asked. As he left, I planned to cross the road, my next destination? Well my old house (Not exactly but the subdivision there, maybe I can stay at the park?) Oh but I was inexperienced, I was going to cross a main road! Right as I was about to cross a bunch of guards called out to me, told me what I'm doing would get me killed if I took another step. They lead me to an underpass. So I took that. I crossed the underpass and headed towards the place I wanted to go. Still so many problems... It was hot, I was wearing a sweater (again I can't remove it bcs I wasn't wearing a shirt under) and I didn't eat lunch, didn't have any water, and have been wandering aimlessly throughout. I was close now about....another 6-7 kilometers or so... I was stupid to think I'd reach it without passing out. I staggered as I walked, I hit a tree and a long branch fell on my head. I used it as a cane I guess. Then another man showed up, called out to me, I ignored him. He tried to give me money, I felt guilty so I refused. He tried to let me let him help me. (Wow tongue twister-I could word that better) Eventually I realized this man is a grab driver... Okay I took his offer to drive me, he offered to buy me lunch and so I ate a Mcdonalds meal. At first he asked me where I was headed. Panicked and not wanting him to know I said the address of my old school from 6th grade, which was nearby. He took me there and then asked me again. Where am I really supposed to go? Ah shoot he caught me, So I gave in. I told him to take me to a subdivision (my old place), He asked me, Why? I said I'm looking for my dad. And he told me he thought I was a foreigner, and asked for my name, and If I could understand him. Oh he fed my cover, so sure I said I was from another country, I said I was looking for my dad, and that when he asked for my name I panicked again inside my head, I saw a bike pass by with a plate number with the letters "XIAN" and so I told him my name was Xian. He took me to the subdivision, and left me at the park... Ah but he wouldn't leave me alone! He followed me even as I got out the car... goodness! He parked and came out again, he asked if I was okay, and in desperation I was walking in circles around my cousin's house (we were neighbors). So I asked him if I could borrow his phone, and he did, I messaged Cat, said my explanation and my situation, said my goodbyes and asked for one last favor.

0 notes

stellasfilmblog · 1 year ago

Text

Documentaries that everyone should watch

Documentaries have profoundly changed my views on the world, they have allowed my eyes to be opened to so many important issues. I am geneiunely a different person as a result of documentaries that I have watched. The camera's "eye" allows us to experience things we would never experience with our own eyes, allowing us to gain a greater empathy.

The True Cost (2015)

I first watched this film when I was around 13/14 years old and it really changed my perspective. This documentary is what first made me aware of how powerful the camera's "eye" is. Until I watched this it had never occurred to me that fast fashion clothes were actually made by hand, I had heard of sweatshops but didn't know what they actually were. Since watching this film over 5 years ago, I have started buying majority of my clothes secondhand, massively reduced my consumption of clothing and gotten involved in the environmental movement. Documentaries like this and their impact are the reason I am inspired to be a filmmaker.

H is for Harry (2018)

H is for Harry follows an 11 year old boy learning to read. I didn't realise how many people were illiterate in my own country until I watched this film. It is honestly heartbreaking to know that so may kids like Harry exist. Harry's father also can't read and is a really important part of this documentary, as he gives a lot of insight into what life is like for an adult who can't read.

Heroin(e) (2017)

This is one of the best documentaries that I have ever watched it follows 3 woman in West Virginia, who are fighting the opioid epidemic in different ways.

13th (2016)

13th is an incredibly eye opening documentary into the corruption of the American criminal justice and prison systems.

The Bleeding Edge (2018)

This was a truly shocking film, I didn't realise how unsafe current regulations for new medical devices are in the United States. It's honestly terrifying. I love how Kirby Dick uses such an interesting variety of footage to make this a really visually interesting film.

Hot Girls Wanted (2015)

Hot Girls Wanted follows young woman who are just starting their careers in the "amateur" porn world.

The Last Days (1998)

This is the most powerful film I have ever watched about the holocaust. It is so important that we do not forget this atrocity. In this film 5 Hungarian Jewish holocaust survivors are interviewed about the holocaust. A concentration camp doctor was also interviewed for this film.

Audrie & Daisy (2016)

This is about teenage girls who are raped, and then after the sexual assaults are then cyber bullied and abused by members of their own communities. This shows why so many survivors don't come forward and the injustice that many of them face for just telling the truth.

The Social Dilemma (2020)

The social Dilemma is a docudrama that explores how social media apps control us and make us more polarised.

0 notes

mnovenia · 1 year ago

Text

Day 2 in Korea - Friday 28 July 2023

Eonnie Oppa let me sleep in, the kids were busy going in and out for activities, I was with Oppa. As he cleaned etc, we talked and he left, gave the key of the house as I planned to exercise outside the apartment. I went out, observing the neighbourhood, walked, and it was so hot. I went back home, survived, enjoyed the quiet apt and did pilates. Rest for a while then the kids came, we are learning hangeul together. Sooyi was so excited to teach me and bring me many many books to learn, sooo cute nae sarang. Seoyi hates it tho, she said na gongbu shiro!! wkwkkww... The kids had lunch preped by Taekyun Oppa.

Then oppa brought us to book cafe Milkbook in Paju as I wished. It was sososo nice. Oppa really get my idea, the place is just my dream, what I always wanted as I saw instagram. On the car was so cute already, we all sat at the back but the kids were being so noisy so Oppa said Marsella appe, sit in front with me hahaha.. we really had a great time, ordered ice cream, coffee, read and walk around together, took pictures with my camera, oppa warned the kids as they told me to keep studying but he said Imo want to swui (rest) hahaha.. then the kids beg to buy cookies and books to me buy the father took over. I spent quality time with Seoyi as well, read pallgang moori, we took turn taking pictures, i love you so much chung seo yi.

Then afterwards we head home because we need to prep for Friday worship. But i was starving then Oppa cooked ramyeon, the best one, also served with halmeoni's kimchi which is the best!! I remember we talked a lot and learned for Indo performance together.

We head out, listened to sung si kyung (as I watched hangang n yeoudo sign: jjinj hangukidaaa), we talked in the car, dropped the kids to tung tung kimbap, the head to Oppa's studio in the church. we brought our shirts also Eonnie's, and I watched him work on songs SO COOL! Seoyi called me as we became Katalk friends hahaha.. they came back and we're heading to the rehearsal room where I saw many familiar faces. Han Jibsanim, Ha Jangronim, Mi Yeong Onni, etc and we're histerically reunited. The youth also come one by one, Jongsu, Zion, Hyemi, GwangHui with his laptop, EunJung Onni, Yoora, EunHye, Seungmin, Hakman, Kiwan Sieun, DongHwan, Yeseung Yeneung, Eun gu, Haon, KyeongJu, Haram, Hye Yeon, and many others. Everybody looked busy just finished from work though.

We rehearsed so cutely, with motion etc, haha hehe, trying to remember the lyrics, put on our position, n turned out me was put in front next to Yoora, Sieun, GwangHui and we had to hold microphone omg what is this.. Then we head to the main hall church, rehease very cutely and helped by the performance team, remember our mic, correcting our choreography, trying to get ready and 1st song that was sang was the 1st korean worship I downloaded during my father was sick in the hospital back in 2020 (merinding gak sih -0- pengen nangis tersedu kalo inget kala itu ga kebayang bisa bolak balik korea ky sekarang gini, but I know that's when God started to work in koreanness DNA in me HAHHA).

Then Han Jibsanim asked us to get ready and went to the backstage on the 3rd song. And we watched out Bali video mission for the first time with bitjereun nun (mata berbinar/shining eyes), teasing each others WOOOOOO on different part, feeling blessed it happened, unity, thankful, proud of God's work, nostalgic and mixed feeling. I remember every second of it, I want to keep it in my heart forever. I love you guys so much, God thank you for this new family and our strong bond, please keep this and the fire for the gospel forever.

Then time to show hahaha, it went well i guess and i enjoyed and smiled. I think it's what Chung Eun Ju muksanim meant by we shouldn't give up in our fate - that I was born shy like this, ugly or fat, but with God we can change everything, being used to be a light, brave, attractive and kind compassionate, willing to get out even though im an extreme extrovert. So God, all the glory belong to you again, please keep me humble and under Your grace. We then listened about the missionaries' work in Batam, SG, Malay with Maurice muksanim that I heard the next day as well.

After service I said to Eunjung Onni that I will go out with Yoora's soon which is Hakman n Gwang Hui. We're hanging out to watch movie together at 11 pm omg, we first stopped in front of the church, insa: Yujong, Seokmin, Yejin, Taeyon, Ryan, everybody is line 91, etc and we had fun walking to the cinema. Hak man bought me movie ticket and I bought uksusu drink as well. They challenged me to understand the movie hahaaa. Gwanghui on the way keep questioning how can I improve my hangukmal, so cute, I spoke to Yejin and how she used to be Yusosu's seonsaengnim. I sat next to Yoora, the seat was nice and we had adventure inside the building as well, trying to get the elevator etc, and going out was a hastle but chemita like an adventure. Hahahehe and we went seperately, going back to the church as Yoora parked there, went to toilet, pyeonijeom to buy vit c n snaks, nice ahjussi then we head to onni oppa house. Yoora continue to work while I was so exhausted and went to sleep. She used Yui's pyjama can you imagine how cute hahaha.. that's the end of my packed 2nd day..

0 notes

alsjeblieft-zeg · 1 year ago

Text

332 of 2023

♰ I'm a fly that’s trapped in a web but I'm thinking that my spider's dead ♰

Created by chasingghosts

Do you ever get groceries delivered to your house?

No, I’ve never used that option. I’m not even sure if they do it here.

What was the last job interview you went to where you didn't get the job? Do you think the interview went well or not?

I don’t even remember lol. Must have been over 15 years ago. I’ve been employed even during studying in the university, and I’ve been working in my current company for 9+ years.

Are you the kind of person who can wake up with one alarm or do you need several?

I wake up even before.

What's your favourite pasta shape?

Penne. It’s always good.

What position is your body in right now? Sitting, laying, standing?

Just sat down on the couch after doing things in the kitchen.

Do you have any plans for the upcoming weekend?

Yeah, doing groceries and then going on vacation.

What's one of the saddest movies you've ever seen?

I’m not interested in movies.

Has a movie ever made you cry?

No, I don’t

If you have a pet, where are they right now?

Both are taking a nap on their cat tree. For once they’re not arguing :P

What's the last dessert you ate?

Does a milkshake count?

Do you experience deja vu often?

NNot that often, but happens sometimes.

Are there any rooms in your house that you don't go into every day?

Yeah, the room thaat belongs to my husband’s son.

Did you own many videos or DVDs when you were a kid?

Not that many. I’ve grown up in times of VHS tapes, though. It was beautiful.

What was the last physical pain you experienced?

Migraine.

Have you ever fed an animal at the zoo? Which ones?

I don’t remember, I was in the zoo only once in my life and I was 2 years old then.

Do you use Fahrenheit or Celsius? Do you know both or just one?

The whole Europe uses Celsius, and so does my country, by logic. I can’t even convert to F, it’s too abstract to me, just like imperial units.

Can you do a handstand? When was the last time you tried?

My left hand is affected with monoparesis. I wouldn’t manage to do it even if I wanted, I’d rather fall and injure myself.

Do people misunderstand you?

Less than before, but in general, yes.

What year will you/did you turn 30?

In 2020.

Have you ever worked or lived in a high rise building?

No, never.

Who are some of your favourite actors?

I don’t really care.

Do you hate it when musical artists make music for way too long and kinda ruin the legacy they'd originally built for themselves?

No, what’s there to hate? And what’s there to ruin in the first place?

Is there anything that's been bothering you emotionally lately?

Yeah, one certain guy. I know him, yet I don’t. I see him at the train station sometimes, but I don’t even know his name. He’s so intriguing and I’m strangely drawn to him.

What was the last store you shopped at?

Albert Heijn.

What time did you wake up today? Was that earlier or later than usual?

It was more or less around the normal time for me, 7:00.

Have you ever been to a parade? What for?

No, I haven’t.

When you exercise, do you do anything to entertain yourself like listen to music or watch TV?

Watch TV, usually.

Do you ever read other people's survey answers?

Yeah, because people are interesting.

What app on your phone do you use the most?

Spotify. And camera, of course :P

Does your current city differ from your hometown in terms of weather?

Not much. My hometown is usually a bit more windy because it’s placed by the coast.

Have you ever been engaged?

Yeah, once.

What can you hear right now?

A soap opera in TV.

Do you know anyone who is terminally ill?

I knew someone who died of cancer, if that counts.

What was your first best friend's name and where did you meet them? Are you still in touch with them?

A girl named Martina and no, she moved out in 1996 and I’ve never heard from her anymore. We met in kindergarten.

What's your favourite fruit?

Strawberry and cherry.

Do you have nice views from your house?

Pff no. The other side of the street and an ugly backyard lol.

What was the last album you listened to?

I never listen to the whole albums.

How often do you get paid?

Twice a month when at work, once a month while on a sick leave.

Do you own any cool or interesting mugs?

Yep. I have one with djent music genre, one with the logo of my company, and one with a skull.

If you had to start a university course next week, what do you think you'd like to study?

I’d continue with my 2nd degree, the standard Dutch language.

#survey #q&a survey #random survey

0 notes

goboymusic · 2 years ago

Photo

#CarlPanzram is the closest thing to a real world Heath Ledger-style #Joker that we’ve ever had. An intelligent, criminal agent of chaos.

”My Love, The Robot (36)” was produced in 2012, but remained in my Dropbox for 7 years before being released, a delay that resulted from losing the confidence to upload new music to the internet. That lack of confidence was a result of the personal disaster that was “Throwback (23),” which you can read about in post 23 (full story on Tumblr).

My youngest sister convinced me to upload “My Love, The Robot” in late 2019. The personal baggage around the act of uploading new music to the internet caused my body to tremble uncontrollably. I know that’s TMI. A bodily stress reaction was interesting.

The reception of this song on Facebook is what convinced me to create new music for the first time in 7 years, which ultimately kicked off GoBoy, the musical journey that I’m on now.

During the seven-year hiatus I suffered heartbreak, worked twelve-hour shifts as a machine operator for a few months, renovated an industrial plant for a year, went on two cross country road trips, worked as a sound editor in the film industry in Los Angeles for sixteen months, did one-off experiments with different drugs just to experience them, lived as a traveling nomad out of my car for sheer adventure (one of the funnest periods of my life), became one of those running-fanatics where I ran seven miles per day for a period of time, helped manage a family owned industrial company, hired and fired people, reached a low point where I seriously contemplated suicide for a few months and developed a fool-proof suicide plan, spent three years developing websites / apps that failed to gain traction, and that’s just about it. A mixture of failures and successes, positive experiences and negative.

The song title “My Love, The Robot” was inspired by a short-lived electronic band of the same name that consisted of high school classmates. They blew my fucking mind.

Musically, this song was inspired by MGMT and The Postal Service (the band, not USPS).

Regarding the cause of the hiatus between GoBoy 2 and 3: “Throwback” (and it’s music video) enraged my relatives, whom I grew up in a neighborhood with, and who had tremendous influence over my life at the time (explained in post 23). A frenzy of angry emails, metaphorical pitchforks, torches, hulk rage. Being a young, neurotic kid, the backlash from them was too much for me to handle at the time, and to exit their spotlight, I halted further production of pop songs and ultimately pulled the music video and songs 1-23 (GoBoy 1) from the internet (excerpts from post 23).

To the creative kids who find themselves surrounded by people who want to halt or control their creative endeavors, best of luck. I want to say “find a way out,” but that might result in further deterioration of your creative output. If you were born into an environment where you’re free to explore your creativity without constraints, you’ll never know how lucky you are (excerpts from post 23).

After the “Throwback” debacle, focus would be shifted towards creating instrumental songs that would fly under the radar (GoBoy 2, songs 24-35). Fly under the radar they did. Following GoBoy 2, I quit music for seven years. Songs 1-23 wouldn't be reuploaded until 2020. Why does this matter? It doesn't (excerpts from post 23).

#GoBoy #MyLove #Robot #36

0 notes

amberfaber40 · 2 years ago

Text

Boston Bucket List: 30 Best Things To Do in Boston

Here's a list of the best things to do in Boston, including the Freedom Trail, Fenway Park, the North End, whale watching, and more.

Sunset at Fenway Park

Sunset the night of June 3, 2005 at Fenway Park, Boston. This photo is for sale at www.imagekind.com/showartwork.aspx?IMID=c1f1ff12-3203-438...

Fenway Park

Fenway Park wallpaper by philvb - Download on ZEDGE™ | fd7d

boston 🌃🚏

1986 World Series Game 3

Boston Must See - Fenway Park

Boston is known for it’s historic attractions like the Boston Tea Party and the Freedom Trail, but did you know it is also home to the oldest major league baseball stadium, Fenway Park. The h…

Fenway Park - Boston, MA

FOLLOW - ME - ON - F A C E B O O K

Boston

10 Tips for a Home-Run Visit to Fenway Park

Learn why a Fenway Frank is so good, when to sing along to "Sweet Caroline," and how to spot key Red Sox landmarks in our unofficial guide to Fenway Park.

Boston, MA

The 15 Coolest & Best Airbnbs in Boston for a Wicked Awesome Trip 2020

Planning a trip and searching for the best Airbnbs in Boston? Read my Boston Airbnb guide for unique rentals, cheap apartments & luxury homes

How To See A Boston Red Sox Baseball Game At Fenway Park

If a Boston Red Sox baseball game at Fenway Park is on your wish list, this post shares tips on getting there, tickets, taking kids, where to eat and more!

Best Restaurants Near Fenway Park in Boston

Heading to a Boston Red Sox game? Go early and take advantage of the atmosphere and amazing restaurants near Fenway Park. Here is a list of my favorite sp..

Facebook Twitter Boston is famous for a lot of things: the Boston Red Sox, the Freedom Trail, Harvard and MIT, and the famous Boston Tea Party, the event that kicked off the American Revolutionary War.We spent almost one full week touring Boston and the nearby towns and we were amazed by how much there is to do here. In just Boston alone, we came up with a list of 30 things to do! If you are planning a trip to Boston, here is our long list of things to do in the city. At the end of this post we have recommendations as to how to plan your time here, whether you have 1, 2, or more days to spend in this historic city.Table of Contents30 Things to Do in Boston#1 Buy the Boston Go CardThe Boston Go Card is an all-inclusive pass that gets you into most attractions in the city and in nearby towns, like Plymouth, Lexington, and Concord. It is available for 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 days.We purchased the 5-day pass. During our visit to Boston, I added up the cost of all of the attractions we visited with the Go Card and we saved over $100 per person!Plus, it is convenient showing your pass at the ticket booths, rather than paying by credit card or cash over and over again. And if lines are long, at some attractions you can bypass the lines by using the Go Card VIP lines or waiting in the shorter will-call lines.We ordered our pass online before arriving in Boston. Install their app on your smartphone. In this app you can access your Go Card pass and read about the 41 included attractions in the guide. At each attraction, just show the ticket attendant your pass via this app. It’s so easy to use.I recommend printing a copy of your Go Card pass just to have as a back up.There are two versions of the Go Card. The All-Inclusive Pass, discussed above, gives you access to all of the sights on the pass. You can visit as many sights as you like during the period of time your pass is valid. The Explorer Pass is better for those who plan to only visit a few sights, since this pass gives you access to 2, 3, 4, or 5 attractions. For more information or to order your Go Card, click here.#2 The Freedom TrailIf you do one thing in Boston it should be a walk on the Freedom Trail.The American Revolution began in Boston. The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile route that takes you to 16 historical sites that were important during this war. Take a walk back in time as you visit meetinghouses, burial grounds, Paul Revere’s house, and the Old North Church.Faneuil Hall and the Samuel Adams statue | Best Things to Do in BostonYou can walk the Freedom Trail on your own or take a tour.How to Walk the Freedom Trail without Taking a TourWe chose to walk it on our own. I installed the Freedom Walk app on my phone so I had the route through Boston. We printed out the Freedom Walk Trail brochure, which provided information on each of the 16 sites. At each stop, we took turns reading about what we were visiting. Joining a tour probably would have provided more information, but for us, it was nice to explore the Freedom Trail at our own pace.It took us about 4 hours to walk the entire Freedom Trail, including quick breaks along the way.I would recommend taking a break halfway through the walk, just to recharge your batteries. Faneuil Hall and Quincy Markets are good places to grab a quick bite to eat and rest your feet for a little bit.We started at Boston Common and ended at Bunker Hill. If you are looking for a place for lunch or dinner, consider Warren Tavern, a historic tavern located just a few blocks from Bunker Hill. It’s the perfect end to a day on the Freedom Trail.READ MORE: Tips for Walking the Freedom Trail#3 Fenway ParkFenway Park is another must-see site in Boston. If you are here during the summer months, consider watching a game here. Even if you are not a baseball fan, a visit to Fenway Park is still well worth your time.Originally, we wanted to watch a game at Fenway. However, the cheapest tickets I could find were over $70 per person. We are not baseball fans so instead we chose to take a tour (at a much more budget friendly price, and it is included on the Go Card!). This tour was one of the highlights during our visit to Boston.Fenway Park is the oldest Major League baseball park that is still in use. It opened in 1912 and the first game took place just 5 days after the Titanic sunk. During a tour, stand atop the Green Monster, take in the view from the press box, and learn a lot of interesting facts about Fenway Park.Fenway Park | Best Things to Do in Boston#4 Take in the View from the Skywalk ObservatoryFor an aerial view over the city, visit the Skywalk Observatory. Get 360° views over Boston. There are lots of included exhibits about the history of Boston.Location: 800 Boylston Street, in the Prudential Center Boston#5 Boston CommonThe Boston Common is the oldest public park in the USA. This was once a pasture for sheep, then became the training grounds for militia during the Revolutionary War, and more recently has been the site for public speeches by Martin Luther King JR and Pope John Paul II.If you walk the Freedom Trail, you will start or end on the Boston Common.#6 Eat your way through BostonBoston is home to some excellent restaurants. The North End is Boston’s “Little Italy.” Dine on wonderful Italian food and definitely check out Regina Pizzeria, home to the best pizza in town.Lobster rolls are delicious and numerous restaurants claim to have the best in town. Our favorite spot was James Hook & Co.Other restaurants we recommend are Neptune Oyster (amazing fresh seafood and oysters), JP Licks (best ice cream in town), and Toro (a tapas restaurant that reminded Tim and I of Barcelona).#7 HarvardHarvard | Best Things to Do in BostonTake a trip just across the Charles River to Harvard. Harvard was the first college founded in the US in 1636. Take a stroll through Harvard Yard and while you are here, you can tour the Peabody Museum of Archaeology or the Harvard Museum of Natural History (both are included on the Boston Go Card).#8 MIT MuseumSitting right next door to Harvard is MIT. We visited the MIT Museum, a must-see for Tyler, with his interest in robotics and technology.MIT Museum | Best Things to Do in BostonThis is a small museum and takes about an hour for a visit. Holograms, robots, and scientific prototypes fill this museum.#9 Acorn StreetAcorn Street | Best Things to Do in BostonQuick to visit, a walk on this narrow, cobblestoned street is like stepping back in time. Located in Beacon Hill, a walk on Acorn Street can be combined with visits to nearby Boston Public Garden and the Cheers bar.#10 Boston Public GardenThe Boston Public Garden sits right next to Boston Common. The Boston Public Garden is gorgeous. Stroll around the lake, walk across the world’s smallest suspension bridge, go for a jog, or ride one of the Swan Boats.Boston Public Garden | Best Things to Do in Boston#11 Cheers, Where Everybody Knows Your NameOK, this one is a bit of a tourist trap. Located in Beacon Hill next to the Boston Public Garden is the Cheers bar. This is the bar that served as the inspiration for the setting of the TV show Cheers.On our visit, we were a bit disappointed to walk in and feel like we were in a restaurant like TGI Fridays. This was not what we had in mind at all.If you are looking for a bar with a more local vibe, this is not your place. But if you are a Cheers fan or want to check it out, pop in for a drink or take a photo.There is a second Cheers location in Boston at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. This bar opened in 2001 and is a replica of the TV set.#12 Mapparium: See the World like it’s 1935We loved this!!The Mapparium is a three-story stained glass globe that was constructed in 1935. The map has never been updated, so you can see the world with its political boundaries as it was before World War II.From a glass catwalk that spans the globe, view the globe from the inside out. I felt like I could stare at this map forever; it was just so fascinating to see just how much the world has changed.Mapparium | Best Things to Do in BostonOne of the coolest parts about the Mapparium is the acoustics. This is a “whispering gallery,” where one person whispers and people at the other end of the bridge can hear what they are saying. It’s wild and makes this visit even more fun.Location: Mary Baker Eddy Library#13 Go Whale WatchingJust off the coast of Cape Cod is the Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary, a feeding site for humpback whales, right whales, dolphins, and other marine life. The New England Aquarium offers daily whale watching cruises between March and November.View of the Boston skyline during the cruise | Best Things to Do in BostonThis was an awesome experience. We boarded a catamaran and cruised for an hour and a half out to the tip of Cape Cod. We could see Provincetown just off in the distance. For one hour we watched with amazement as 20 different humpback whales made appearances near our boat, breaching, feeding, and swimming along the surface of the water. We saw so many whales that even the naturalist on board our boat was amazed.Length of time: 4 hoursWhen to go: March to November, peak season is August#14 Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy GreenwayIt’s got a big name, but the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is a strip of gardens and walking trails through the heart of Boston. We walked on the Greenway almost every day we were in Boston, since it connects Seaport Boulevard with the harbor, Faneuil Hall, and the North End.View from the Greenway | Best Things to Do in Boston#15 Take a Duck Tour of BostonThe Duck Tour covers all of the major sites in Boston. Cruise past Boston Common, Faneuil Hall, the Old State House, the Boston Public Library, and Beacon Hill. The boats also enter the Charles River for views of the Cambridge and Boston skylines.Tours last 80 minutes and this is a great way to get an overview of the city or see a lot of the most popular sites in a short period of time, perfect for those with just a day or two in Boston. We did not take the Duck Tour since we walked to most of the included sites on our own. But we did see the boats all over town.Visit the Boston Duck Tours website for more information.#16 Boston Public LibraryBoston Public Library | Best Things to Do in BostonThe Boston Public Library is located next to Copley Square in the Back Bay area of Boston. It is heralded as one of the best public libraries in the US. Highlights include the Roman style courtyard and art murals by John Singer Sargent. This can be a quick visit if you just wander through the library or you could spend hours here. They even offer guided tours.Location: 700 Boylston StreetCost: Free!#17 New England Holocaust MemorialThe New England Holocaust Memorial is dedicated to the six million Jewish people who were killed in Nazi Germany during World War II. Visitors walk through six glass towers. Engraved on the glass panels of the towers are the identification numbers of those killed during the Holocaust.New England Holocaust Memorial | Best Things to Do in BostonWe visited the Holocaust Memorial during the afternoon of August 14. Just a few hours later the Memorial was vandalized. A 17-year-old man threw a rock at the Memorial, breaking one of the glass panels.We returned the following day. Flowers and candles now stood in front of the missing glass panel and the Memorial was being guarded by police officers. This was the second time the Holocaust Memorial was vandalized that summer, and there have only been two such incidences since its construction in 1995.Peaceful demonstration held after the Holocaust Memorial vandalismLocation: 98 Union Street, near Faneuil Hall and just a few steps off of the Freedom TrailCost: Free#18 The Greenway CarouselIf you are traveling with kids, add the Greenway Carousel to your list of places to visit. This is not your typical carousel. Animals indigenous to the area, such as lobsters, sea turtles, whales, squirrels, and owls, are found on this carousel. It’s a fun, quick break for the whole family.Location: The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, near Faneuil Hall and Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park#19 The Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumIsabella Steward Gardner Museum | Best Things to Do in BostonIsabella Stewart Gardner was a unique woman, a woman ahead of her time. Born in a well-to-do family, Isabella became a world traveler. She collected art and artifacts from around the world and then built a home/museum to display this artwork. Now, the public can tour this gorgeous, eclectic museum.I will admit, art museums are not what we seek out when we travel. This one is different. Just the building itself is a joy to wander through. But the artifacts Isabella collected are astounding, including paintings by famous artists and ancient artifacts from around the world. We really enjoyed this art museum.In 1990, more than $500 million worth of artwork was stolen from the museum, making it the biggest art heist in history. It still remains unsolved today.Location: 25 Evans Way, near the Museum of Fine Arts and Fenway Park#20 The Museum of Fine ArtsAgain, we were pleasantly surprised. This art museum is amazing. It’s also gigantic. It would take a day to tour the entire building.With ancient artwork and artifacts from Egypt (including panels of hieroglyphics from Giza), art from around the world, paintings, sculptures, and contemporary art, there is something here for everyone.Location: 465 Huntington Avenue, within walking distance of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum#21 The Quincy MarketThe Quincy Market is part of the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Filled with food vendors and small shops, this is a bit touristy, but it is also a great place to get good, cheap food. With its central location in Boston, this makes a great spot to grab a bite to eat while you are touring the city.#22 Walk or Jog along the Charles River EsplanadeCharles River Esplanade | Best Things to Do in BostonThe Charles River Esplanade is a walking trail along the Charles River, located near the Back Bay region. From here, enjoy views across the Charles River to Cambridge.#23 Take a Brewery TourWhile in Boston, you have the option to tour the Samuel Adams Brewery or the Harpoon Brewery. Both breweries are located a bit far from the city center of Boston, but you can get here by taxi or Uber. The Samuel Adams Brewery is located near the Stony Brook station on the MBTA orange line.#24 The Boston Marathon Finish LineThe Boston Marathon has always been a historic running event, but this site became even better known after the Boston bombing that occurred during the 2013 Boston Marathon. The finish line is permanently painted on Boylston Street, just outside of the Boston Public Library.#25 Newbury and Marlborough StreetsIn Back Bay, spend some time walking through the neighborhoods on Newbury Street, Marlborough Street, and Commonwealth Avenue. Townhouses line the streets and a tree-lined path runs through the center of Commonwealth Avenue. It’s a beautiful area for a quick stroll or a leisurely afternoon of sightseeing.#26 Boston Tea Party Ships and MuseumThe Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum is a 75-minute tour that takes visitors on an interactive learning experience about the Boston Tea Party. Learn about the events leading up to this historic night, tour a replica of one of the merchant vessels, and even throw the tea overboard. This is a tour that is great for kids and adults.Location: Congress Street Bridge#27 The JFK Presidential Library and MuseumThis museum is a great place to learn about the life of President John F. Kennedy. It is filled with videos and artifacts from his life and the 1960’s. This museum has a spectacular setting right on the waterfront.Location: Columbia Point. Get here via the MBTA Red Line or by car#28 The North EndThe North End is Boston’s “Little Italy.” During the afternoons and evenings, this area gets very lively, as people flock to the numerous restaurants and bars. We were no different, and we ate here a lot. Some of our favorite places were Regina Pizzeria, Neptune Oyster, Mike’s Pastry, and Giacomo’s.Paul Revere’s House | Best Things to Do in BostonAlso in the North End are Paul Revere’s house and the Old North Church. Both are located on the Freedom Trail and they are places definitely worth visiting because of their historical importance. The Old North Church is where the lanterns were hung on Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride.#29 The New England AquariumThe Aquarium is a fun place to visit, especially if you are traveling with kids. Our favorite exhibits were the penguins and we were here right during feeding time. Various IMAX movies are offered throughout the day and you can participate in one of the animal encounter activities.Location: 1 Central Wharf#30 The Boston Public MarketNot to be confused with the Quincy Market and the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the Boston Public Market is wonderful. This is the place to go for fresh produce, gourmet pastries, amazing donuts, and homemade bread. This market is quieter and has more of an upscale feel to it than Faneuil Hall Marketplace. I really liked it here and I will be back the next time I get to Boston.Organizing Your TimeSo, that’s a lot to do in Boston, right? How should you organize your time?One Day in BostonWith one day in Boston, I recommend walking the Freedom Trail. Along the way, you could make quick detours to the Holocaust Memorial or restaurants in the North End. Spend the second half of the day touring Fenway Park or watching a baseball game here. Then have dinner and spend the night out on the town.Two Days in BostonOn your second day in Boston, visit the Back Bay area, starting at the Isabella Stewart Gardner and Fine Arts Museums. Then visit the Mapparium, Skywalk Observatory, and the Boston Public Library. Stroll through the Back Bay neighborhoods on Newbury and Marlborough Streets, visit Beacon Hill, and have a drink at the Cheers bar.Three Days in BostonTake your pick of what interests you the most, whether it is whale watching, the JFK Library, making the short trip over to Harvard and MIT, or taking a brewery tour.Four Days in BostonWith more time in Boston, consider taking a day trip out to Plymouth (to see the famous Plymouth Rock and to tour the Plimoth Plantation) or to Lexington and Concord for more Revolutionary War history. You can even take a day trip to Cape Cod, a great way to spend the day during the summer months.Have you been to Boston? What are your favorite things to do? Comment below!Where Are You Going Next?BOSTON: In Boston, we have a detailed guide on how to walk the Freedom Trail. We also have an article on how to day trip to Plymouth, Lexington, and Concord from Boston. Boston is also a great location for working remotely.NEW YORK CITY: If you are planning a trip to New York City, take a look at our 5 Days in New York City Itinerary. We also have a New York City Hotel Guide and an article that covers the top sights in New York City.MAINE: If your visit is part of a bigger road trip and you have plans to visit Maine, check out our Acadia National Park Travel Guide. We also have information on the best hikes in Acadia and how to plan your Acadia National Park Itinerary.USA TRAVEL INSPIRATION: For more great ideas on where to go in the United States, check out our article Best USA Road Trips, which has 18 sample itineraries for your next big adventure. You can also see more travel itineraries on our Travel Itineraries page.Are you planning a trip to the United States? Read all of our articles about the USA in our United States Travel Guide. All rights reserved © Earth Trekkers. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, etc.), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Facebook Twitter

0 notes