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anotherworldash · 3 years ago

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Hi mutuals/followers, nice to meet you. As I’m getting friends in Pokeshipping fandom, I want to introduce myself. Cuz naturally, when befriending someone, we want to know their view on the fandom and other ships.

General things to know about me is : I’m an office lady in somewhere in South East Asia. I am working long hours from 8 to 10 hours/ day so this might affect my productivity. I will check my account once a week or a month, if I’m lucky I can check it everyday. I get art request a lot. Please don’t get offended. But, most of the time, I have to refuse simply cause I don’t have enough time. EXCEPT when it comes to my OTP, your art request will be queued in my to-do list in chronological order. (I might not do it if I’m uncomfortable with the topic or I’m busy for my office).

Despite inactivity, I love making friends and am a chatterbox. Do not hesitate to leave me a message, I will eventually check this account.

My OTP and why i ship them

Pokeshipping (Ash x Misty) : FOR ME, They are canon already.

They like & love each other. Ash showed jealousy when another guy was around Misty and tried to steal her attention (such as Rudy).

Misty also showed jealous reaction whenever another girl was around Ash. (Melody etc)

There are also scene where Ash explicitly state Misty looks beautiful.

Their adventure together has ended, but I believe they communicated a lot offscreen. The proof is : Ash held on to Misty’s lure as if he can’t live without it. So, eventually she has to send him a new stock, right ? How is she gonna know if they don't communicate regularly through email or phone? :D

OK Honestly I don't care if this ship sink. I'm going down to the deepest ocean with it.

Cavaliershippping (Dawn x Gary) : Hello this ship is so HOT. First, Dawn is such a cute fangirl for Gary. she recognize him as a reliable guy, a talented problem solver. I love how Gary showed his polite gentleman side with Dawn. He recognized her before she introduced herself. and he followed her whims when she wanted poetry (although he himself isn't a poet like Grandpa Oak).

I planned to write a slowburn cavaliershipping where Dawn was jealous of Gary’s playboy past . Eventhough he changed already, Dawn want to make sure Gary know only she is worth to become his only cheerleader. She would ask Ash to convince Gary and arrange a meeting so she could get the opportunity to get close to him! Ash will tease him all day. How cute. I was truly inspired by a fic in ffnet where Goh teased Gary and ask if Dawn call Gary as "Prof Oak Jr or Professor Playboy" Thank you author (I forget the title but I will update later)

(no picture of oldrivalshipping yet, sorry)

Oldrivalshipping (Leaf x Rival, Green x Blue) : I see Rival/Green as different character from Gary, they just share the same character design.

When i played Pokemon FireRed years ago... I always felt that rival has the biggest crush on my protagonist, he was obsessed and he just didn’t want to admit it!

Palletshipping (Gary x Ash) : This ship is so hot, it burns the whole Pallet Town. what else can I say? Just like Pokeshipping, I am obsessed for years. Amazing development through series. Gary was a jerk but I loved him for that, and I knew Ash loved him for that too. Gary teasing Ashy boy all day is a method to express his attraction and we all know it succeed cause Gary stole Ash's whole attention every time he shows up.

Ok that's all my OTP

NOTP : Ok let me state this first. When it comes to my NOTP, I will not engage in it all. If you ship it, that’s cool. I support the shippers.

My NOTP consist of other ships beside pokeshipping. REASON : (Do not continue read if you are my NOTP shipper, I don't intend to bring down other ships, just voicing my opinion just in case my fellow Pokeshipper/Palletshipper want to know) I don’t ship Ash and Misty with anyone but each other. I have specific reasons but mostly because I felt that Ash and Misty liked each other already. So when other character like them, their feelings are one-sided.

I also don't ship Ash with any guy except Gary. Cause for me they are epic together. Ash's chemistry with other guys are watered down version of Palletshipping.

But I’m ok with other ships with Gary and Dawn. I enjoy Ikarishipping, Rivalcrushshipping, etc etc. I am just not that interested in it. Unless maybe you can give me good reasons.

Now if you ask me if, why newer ships are not on my list ? It's not because I hate new characters or because I prefer OS. (My favorite new character is Regina (I love Ice Pokemon and I had a thing for one-time character like Giselle) and I love SuMo & Journey) I just don't have strong connection with them yet.

Oh also... the character I relate the most in pokeani is Erika. Modest and elegant, that is just my style.

#pokeshipping #cavaliershipping #palletshipping #introductory post #introducing myself

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carmenxjulia · 4 years ago

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Another Duane interview transcript, coming at you! This one was from a smaller Carmen Sandiego chatroom. There were several interviewers, so that’s why the name of the question asker changes. Get the details below the break! Stay tuned, more interview transcripts coming soon.

Duane Capizzi:

HI EVERYONE! I'M IN!

Sorry I'm late, I got lost on the way haha. Then got lost trying to change my PFP

Thanks for gathering! Shall we get started? Let's do some Q&A!

(as long as they are not geography questions haha)

Fuel:

What characters or plot points were cut from the final product?

Duane Capizzi:

Ooo, starting with a right hook to the jaw!

Let me think about that for a moment: I'm hesitant to give too much away because I'm really hoping we can tell more stories in this world at some point

Which is to say, we tend not to waste anything: if we don't use it when we originally planned, we usually find a way to use something later - and there's usually a "karmic" reason that we waited.

I'll also preface by saying this: I know season 3 was more of a mini-drop and some felt season 4 was rushed. But I wish EVERY season were longer. Season 1: ideally, i wanted the Pilot to be its own event and 10 more episodes after that (but we had to tell the post-Pilot story in 7. At the end of the day, that had its benefits: we got to the Shadowsan turn earlier and I think that's when a lot of viewers realized the ride they were truly in for). Season 2: we initially figured we'd need 5 episodes to have Carmen doing the ACME dance with Chief, and wound up doing it in 3 - mostly because it quickly became clear that Rio needed to be a 2 parter, and the Zack and Ivy backstory a rough 2 parter. So we squeezed 3 episodes worth of plot into 209. It was exhilarating!

So, we had hoped to have more episodes for Season 4 of course. We had a ton of ideas and had to compress things a bit. But honestly in many ways it was for the better. I know we all wanted to live in this world longer, but I think sometimes the flip side is true - when you have big ongoing storylines, it can get frustrating when some things drag out too long. But, we got all the "story" we wanted to tell in Season 4 - we just lost some "incident" if that makes sense. We would have taken longer to get there.

So, all that preface to answer the question: we wanted to do more musical numbers! We had a Bollywood dance sequence in a return to India caper with Paperstar. We wanted to do a famous Elvis suit theft in Las Vegas during an Elvis impersonator convention (Shadowsan's an early elvis guy; Brunt likes the Vegas "jumpsuit" era). We also wanted to do a thread where Gunnar gets captured by ACME so that Julia could interrogate him and he could play mind games with her a la Hannibal Lector and Clarice. CAVEAT TO ALL THIS: these were some ideas that were bouncing around, that may not have seen the light of day if we couldn't get them to work. But they were on our wish list.

re: "other stories" - I could live with these characters for another 32 episodes easily and there have of course been discussions. But alas, that is up to the powers that be. Let's keep fingers crossed - and keep the Carmen love alive online so that someone up there takes note

There is more of course, but those are some things that spring to mind.

Fuel:

Were there any scenes cut for time that were your favorite?

Duane Capizzi:

Not much springs to mind: our directors were amazing at getting everything in the scripts to fit naturally (and in fact, I was the one who was usually suggesting trims to let other things breathe, etc). We were limited to 22 minutes of episode time, NOT counting front and end credits so a little longer than the average show. We have a pretty good idea when the SCRIPT is too long, so the cutting usually happens at script stage before it gets to the board crew so that they don't waste efforts over-boarding material that won't be used.

We had hoped to build out Chase and Carmen teaming up for the first time, meeting at Carmen's hotel lobby etc for more scenes of them together; but had to reduce that to get that all to fit in the VERY packed episode 406. But again, tighter was fine considering. That's one area that leaps to mind. (note that when I say packed, I don't mean that in a bad way: we spend a lot of time pouring over details in editing to make sure everything gets its due).

If I think of anything, I'll circle back at a later point. But the simple answer is that scenes were usually trimmed or compressed at script rather than board or animatic. So nothing comes to mind. I know it's hard to believe, but "shorter is usually better."

except for my answers to fan questions of course

Fuel:

We saw that in s4 episode 6 that Julia's mother(?) is wearing a necklace remarkably similar to the one Julia wears all the time. Is this the same necklace and if so, why was it given to Julia?

Duane Capizzi:

Just when I thought I was detail oriented! Wow! You guys blow me away

I can't take credit for that: it was either the board artist or director who added that. They do slip things in! As I've said before, EVERYONE on the crew really brought their A-game and were as deep thinking and as passionate as I was/am about the show.

It's a nice detail and I would say your interpretation works!

It took me three or four reviews before noticing that the team had slipped in baby Carmen near the play set in Mom's front yard at the end of 408. When I caught it, I was like: bravo!

Fuel:

When they first met, Zack and Ivy said to Carmen that they were the only family they had, do you know what happened to the rest of Zack and Ivy's family?

Duane Capizzi:

I don't. At least, I don't yet until such a time that I might have the opportunity to explore that. It was important to their relationship with Carmen that they be orphans, so they had that common bond (aside from being "thieves who steal from bad guys" - even if it was only gonna be one time for Zack and Ivy).

I know there are writers out there who like to do entire bio's for characters up front but i'm not one of them. It could be a trap in many ways. I like to have a general idea but be open to the demands of the ongoing storyline. You discover things along the way - it's like you're taking a journey with the characters by writing them, and the longer you spend, the better you get to know them (that was not a prepared statement by the way - I just made that up but I'll have to use it again :). So in Z/I's case it wasn't important to the story or Carmen's relationship, we felt. Conversely, we STARTED with Shadowsan's family backstory with 203, but more important to me was that we use it as a platform to explain why he stays with Carmen and crew. He really has no home at that point, so it was relevant to the present ongoing story. Which is what made that especially powerful to me.

Also, there's always a push-pull between telling character back stories while balancing them with ongoing episodic plots. You have to service both. If you just tell back story, then you're writing a biography

Arden:

What was the biggest challenge when designing these characters, especially the pre-existing characters from the series in the 90's?

Duane Capizzi:

This is probably more of a question for Chromosphere, re: challenges. But from my standpoint overseeing that process, the first thing I'll say is that we weren't necessarily trying to be "true" to those characters since we reinvented nearly every one from the ground up. (with the exception of Carmen of course - her trademark red hat/coat weren't going anywhere! But mostly the update with Carmen was in the styling of her "outerwear"

ALTHOUGH: I will admit that I was pushing for Carmen to have shorter hair as Carmen. I thought it would be a cool update. Chromosphere were really passionate about giving her long full hair and I have to see that they were right. The short tomboy cut worked so well for Black Sheep anyway. We had a different hair style for each of her ages.

So about the reinventions: Gunnar is in spirit a similar character to the original (old colleague in Vile and an early mentor if I remember), but his presentation completely different. We weren't trying to be "in canon" with the original. The beauty of CSD is that every incarnation has been its own entity so that freed us to reimagine the characters. THE CLEANERS, for instance: gimme some Cleaner love! There were a pair of janitors from the original game named RICK AND NICK ICK. They were literally janitors, it was too silly for our purposes. But, it's one small step to make them "Cleaners" (in the sinister hit men sense) - and lo, our reinvention.

So to summarize the answer to your question, they weren't really challenges to me so much as FUN to creatively reinvent the original characters (many of which were from the game, so not really "characters" per se with dialogue and inner lives). Whenever we could, we tried to use character names from the originals and update their looks and personalities. Where we couldn't find an equivalent for what we needed, we created characters from whole cloth. For instance, it seemed a miss to do a heist show without a tunnel guy and a high rise climber guy. Hence, LC & ET, everyone's favorite taco truck vendors!

(yes, i've seen some short hair carmen fan art on Twitter - someone did a great one recently!)

Arden:

Are there plans to give us more of the characters in, say, novel/graphic novel form?

Duane Capizzi:

I know HMH has done a bunch and no doubt have more in works. There's currently a novelization of the Pilot with some additional material if anyone's interested. I consulted on the second one, Clue for Clue, because it falls in the timeline while Chase was still Interpol/pre-Acme so was tricky.

And depending on whether another series in this canon makes it to air, I may just approach them about writing one or two myself to get some "further adventures" our there. Anything is possible!

Arden:

If you could go back and change anything about the series, what would it be?

Duane Capizzi:

File under anecdote, but there was what I felt was an important expression on Gray that kept me awake at nights, from his graduation ceremony at Vile. When we revisited those flashbacks in the Gray arc in Season 4, I had them change his expression there (to be more evil less innocent). We had it corrected in 404 so was able to get permission to have Netflix "fix" the Pilot by adding that shot in. I am tenacious!

We really poured over everything, it's the series that I have virtually zero complaints with the end product to be honest. But the simple answer is: I would have gone back to 106 and "un-greek'd" Gray's nametag. It's sort of a rule for international that we scramble signage (which is weird for a show that takes place in many countries/languages, I know I know). It's mostly for localization/translation reasons. And I'm sure there are some countries where Gray's name might be spoken differently. But as a proper name, I think we could have made an exception and seen "Gray" on his name tag. See? Details! But that's about the worst of it

there's also like one small line from Chief in 208 where she indicates she knows Carmen is a good guy (something to that effect) which I felt was too absolute and would have tweaked the line to temper it a bit. It's tiny, but looking back it sort of bugs me and I kick myself for not catching it. But this is absolutely the series I wanted and couldn't be happier.

Carmen:

How did Carmen know she could trust Julia? As far as we know, she has not seen or heard Julia defending her, and in the Fashionista Caper, Julia even held up her gas gun to her, saying she was under arrest. Do you have any opinions on this? Was it just intuition?

Duane Capizzi:

I'm gonna go with intuition

Carmen was raised on an island with some hardened criminal types. I think she's a pretty good judge of character. Poor Julia, trying to be tough with Carmen didn't suit her.

But, great observation! I'd have to mentally step through everything to see if Carmen had any earlier indication but i think you're right there.

Yes, sometimes you just gotta follow your heart

Carmen:

Are there any characters that didn't actually interact that you think would get along well?

Duane Capizzi:

Amazing question! First, I'd have to think more about who DIDN'T meet - you're asking the hard questions haha. But "get along well" is very specific! Hmmm, care to volley anyone?

I'll also add that so many smaller moments get lost in the "binge" of it all, but I am surprised how few fans have noted the first meeting between Player and Julia. THAT was a good one IMO! Very sweet!

Before getting back to your question, I also want to add that we were originally going to find a way for Carmen to lose her earring in Stockholm so that Julia could pick it up and be communicating with Player. BUT, I cut it at treatment stage because I knew we didn't have room in that episode to service it. Circling back to questions 1 & 2, another case where it turned out better saved for later IMO (saving Player meeting Julia, not to mention the earring business in 402 with Ivy).

Oh of course, Julia and any of the other Vile members. It would have been Gunnar for my vote, as mentioned earlier. We probably would not have had Julia meet anyone else and mixed it up more. I like that Cleo sort of became J's personal nemesis.

YES, SONIA & XIFENG (and LUPE PELIGRO, if I can add). The intent was (and is, if we ever get to revisit) to see them again in Carmen's travels. We started to expand Carmen's world but when we finally learned the finite number of episodes we had to finish the story, we drilled back down into the essentials. Would love to see them some day!

I'm hesitant to share too many things I have in mind in this forum for hope that they will see the light of day one day. You know, "spoilers"

Julia:

Do you have any opinions on Zari? Just in general? Some thoughts on her backstory would be nice if possible

Duane Capizzi:

I love Zari! I really don't have any back story on her at this point. She was originally just "Agent B" but when the need arose to give story points to another agent, we chose her because she looked so awesome! And Sharon Muthu gave voice to her so wonderfully.

I love when we finally teamed her with Chase. Hopefully the anticipation was that she would give him a hard time. I love that we defied expectation (organically, of course) and had her respect him by the end of that episode (for believing that he foiled Carmen!)

Julia:

Do you have any thoughts on small facts about any character, major or minor, that you think are fun/interesting to think about, but don't necessarily add to the plot itself?

Duane Capizzi:

Bellum, like myself, likes cats. But you knew that!

I try to put everything pertinent on screen, doing double duty to service any given episode's story but also the overarching story. That "journey" thing I mentioned earlier - we had no idea Chase falling on his own car would be a thing when I first came up with it. But as other characters refer to the incident, it took on a life of its own and made the characters feel more real.

Sorta kinda related to this question and some earlier ones, I will say that I DO think there's more to learn about Shadowsan's past vis a vis Lady Dokuso: it's clear to me that they have a history together, and it's something I hope to explore someday soon (maybe in a book if not another series

Julia:

Are the Carmen Sandiego books a part of canon?

Duane Capizzi:

I only consulted on the first two or three (too busy with series!) and have not read them, so hard for me to answer in a definite way. They are definitely in the universe we've created, but not in the timeline that I know of (which would have been too hard to pull off with our script development running concurrently). But do know that the book team at HMH pays close attention to the series and world so they should be perfectly compatible. Look no further to their clever social media on the series for example.

Kenz:

We saw in season 4 that Julia and Carmen helped each other mid to long term; would there ever be a possibility that Julia would permanently or semi-permanently join team Red?

Duane Capizzi:

Of course there's a possibility. But in a sense, with ACME now finally on Carmen's side, in a sense if Carmen were back in the game Julia, Chase, Zack and Ivy would ALL be an extension of Carmen's crew. But, would J remain with ACME or literally come to Carmen's team at her HQ? As they said in an old radio show: "Only The Duane Capizzi knows ..."

Kenz:

Where do you see Carmen in her retirement (if she retires)? Do you think she would still travel the world or settle down somewhere? Similarly, do you have any thoughts on what some other characters could be doing years down the line?

Duane Capizzi:

That is a big question, and one difficult to answer without some potential future spoilers (and yes, I really want to tell more Carmen stories if you can't tell But I'll answer by giving you one "read" on our open-ended ending as seen in 408 (read no further if you haven't seen it - yeah, right haha). The ending suggests to me that Carmen settled down for a spell to forge that relationship with her mother, to make up for lost time. But, if that is indeed Carmen that we see on the rooftop, I think the ending suggests that Carmen doesn't stay still for very long. If Vile is back, there is work to be done! Carmen has a life mission - she's one determined lady.

But of course, it's deliberately ambiguous: "anyone with your heart, wisdom and courage can be Carmen Sandiego." Is it Carmen? Sonia? Someone we haven't met? I think both endings resonate: Caroline and I always said "Carmen is bigger than a person, Carmen is a movement" would be a great message to end the series on. And I think our ending resolves this chapter of Carmen's journey as a person, but also elevates her to mythic status. Which is why I love it!

And, that seems to me a pretty perfect question and answer to end our chat on. Thanks everyone! Again, I cannot tell you how moved I am to see that we have such a passionate, intelligent and talented fan base. THANK YOU.

Take care guys, thanks again for having me! 'night!

#Carmen Sandiego #CS Crew #Duane Capizzi #Interview #Transcript

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snkpolls · 4 years ago

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SnK Episode 65 Poll Results (for Manga Readers)

The poll closed with 318 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Manga Readers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll, click here.

RATE THE EPISODE 309 Responses

Overall the episode was a hit with viewers, with the majority ranking it a 4 or higher. Over half of all respondents rating it a solid 5. The hype is real!

I thought this was a great episode. A lot of hype moments and the CGI worked for me, for the most part. Looking forward to the next episode!

All around exceeded my expectations if mappa keeps this up this will go down as the best anime in history

Chef's KISS!!! 10/10 episode, i was extremely hyped the entire time.

It was amazing and I hope MAPPA keeps up with the same quality for future episodes

Amazing episode really hype

I thought the voice acting was amazing! :)

Great episode, not perfect but neither was WIT. No adaptation is perfect. This was fantastic.

It was pretty good just maybe good have been done better but I’m just happy it was done at all.

I’ve lowered my expectations to rock bottom at this point

An enjoyable time.

I think it was great! I was very excited and left me wanting more tbh

It was a very good episode!! I'm so happy to see the survey corps again!

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MOMENTS WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 310 Responses

Mikasa’s reintroduction to the series takes the largest piece of the pie, with 31.6% enjoying the scene the most. In second comes the coordinated attack from the Survey Corps against Porco, with 14.8% feeling that scene really brings the hype. At 10.3%, Levi’s first appearance in the season takes 3rd place, and with 9.7% is the overall fight between Eren and the War Hammer Titan.

Ackermans ran this episode as they should. They're on a whole different level.

Why isn't the Sasha-Gabi moment in the list of favourite moments? That's my actually favourite moment. Gabi seeing Sasha through the fire and smoke, Sasha's reflection in her eyes...chilling.

THE CGI CONTINUES TO BE A POINT OF CONTENTION. BE HONEST, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE EXECUTION OF CGI SO FAR THIS SEASON? 309 Responses

In general, the fandom appears to be understanding of MAPPA’s usage of CGI, with 38.2% being completely unbothered by it, 20.1% feeling that while it’s not ideal, it could be much worse, and 18.8% not particularly caring for it but not faulting MAPPA for it either. A handful of people just wish that there would be more appreciation that it’s getting animated at all, while others continue to be a bit salty about the usage of CGI this season.

Did people forgot the god-awful Colossal titan's CGI from WIT? Well, I didn't so I wasn't surprised by the same level of CGI in Eren's scene (thankfully just one of them). I rarely have issue with CGI in SnK except for truly awful looking ones so like couple of times in the season, usually.

I honestly wouldn't even know there's CGI if everyone wasn't complaining about it. I honest to god can't see where they use it.

It's mostly fine

I thought the war hammer titan looked AMAZING, the only CGI that looked odd was the scouts in the background, but that’s really it...?

A few sore spots (e.g. Erens titan looked kinda off this ep), but it's not season-ruining yet.

CGI Titans >>>>>>>> CGI Survey Corps

It works fine for titans that already look somewhat mechanical (Armor, Jaw), but it looks incredibly awkward for the others, to the point of taking me out of the story.

Sometimes great sometimes shit

Maybe I've been spoiled by studio orange and the previous seasons, but I know for a fact that they can do better. This is not a new anime, this is the final season of one of the greatest anime of all time, so yeah I expected much better CGI, it was poor and unecessary.

i think it’s gr8/unnoticeable,,,,,like we all put up with the colossal titan in s1-3 lmao

Some Titans like Eren and Beast look a little weird but I just really like how they made effort to make it blend with the art style. Maybe if they had found a way to cut the animation down to 12fps it might not look so bad? Anyways I think it’s good for what it is, MAPPA is doing their best!

I barely noticed it. The animation looks BOMB. Top 5 episodes of the whole series for me and BEST action episode of AOT easily.

I'm always going to prefer 2D but I understand why they're using it. Still sad about what could've been if they were given enough time to work on the season. Definitely going to lower my expectations.

My dumbass wouldn't even notice, I just want to see the pretty people

I think the CGI for the Titans is completely fine. It's the CGI for the Scouts that was a bit off putting for me. Still, not enough to ruin the episode. And if we continue to get animation of this standard I will be fine with it.

At this point after episode 7 onward eventually AOT CGI is going to be worst than EX-arm's CGI

I love it because it makes the titans scarier and more eerie? I also miss the 2D ones because they feel more natural. Overall, I think it's fine!

I think the CGi is well executed (for the most part), I just don't like that they had to use it so much.

It's a great job. They manage to execute it very well and go to a normal animation when it's needed. It doesn't bother me tbh

HOW WAS EREN’S ROOFTOP SWAN DIVE? 309 Responses

Eren’s dive in the anime was a bit different than in the manga, but it seemed to get a few laughs out of the fandom, so we asked you all to rank it. 58.3% felt it was the most beautiful dive to have ever dived, while only 5.5% think Eren really needs to work on his form. He did his best.

WHICH RETURNING CHARACTER’S ENTRANCE WAS YOUR FAVORITE IN THIS EPISODE? 310 Responses

Mikasa stole the show this episode, with 53.5% enjoying her entrance the most. Levi wasn’t too far behind though, with 29% of respondents hyped over his return. 11.6% were very happy to see Sasha again, while smaller chunks were glad to see Jean and Connie.

They massacred my Jean-boy’s entrance 🥲

WHICH RETURNING CHARACTER HAS THE BEST MAPPA-STYLE GLOW UP? 304 Responses

We got a more colorful and evened out pie for this question. Overall the largest chunk, at 24.3%, are enjoying MAPPA’s take on Eren’s iconic “hobo chic” look. 21.1% think Sasha looks the best out of all of them, while Mikasa trails just behind her at 20.1%. 16.1% are grateful for Connie’s design, leaving 9.5% favoring Jean, and smaller handfuls appreciating MAPPA’s take on Levi and Floch.

Chubby Floch

Here I am watching the trailer all over again because that's probably the only way to see Jean animated handsome and with his actual manga face. MAPPA what happened?

Levi has a thicc ass

I’m a big fan of all the time skip character designs, it was hard to pick just one favourite :)

Jean looked stupid... Floch too but that's not important.

OG characters designs feels a bit off to me. I understand why they use CG for some parts and I have mixed emotions about it. I hope they won't rely on it too much on the upcoming episodes.

#ITSTIMEMIKASA WAS TRENDING ON TWITTER BEFORE THE EPISODE AIRED. ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW MUCH DID IT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE? 304 Responses

One of the most anticipated scenes of the Marley arc was the return of the Survey Corps and the way Mikasa paves the path for their reintroduction. The fandom appears to be very happy with MAPPA’s execution of the scene, with 60.9% of respondents rating it with a 5, with 27% rating it a 4.

EEEEEEEEEEK MIKASA

Mikasa! Mikasa! Gosh love her!

im so glad mikasa is back owfejgrnrkdfs

MAPPA INCLUDED FILLER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EPISODE OF WILLY HESITANTLY DEPARTING FROM HIS TEARFUL FAMILY. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE ADDITION? 310 Responses

The series isn’t known for having too much filler, but typically what filler does exist seems to be appreciated by the fandom, and this was no exception. 56.8% of respondents were happy for a little more fleshing out of Willy’s character (also learning that those kids were his!) and being able to sympathize more with him. 19.7% appreciated the more sympathetic addition until they remembered he was willing to throw Liberio under the bus for his plan. 13.5% are appreciative of any and all additional Willy content. A small amount didn’t like the filler and would rather have had MAPPA put their effort into other things.

I liked it. Got to see more of his fine ass. lmao

Don't add extra 2d animation if You can't even handle what's in the manga

It would've been better to show before he was dead. Fleshing him out after the audience already know he's dead doesn't hit as much imo

Wasn't one of the scene itself, but then again I'm always interested in scenes I haven't seen yet.

I am so grateful, willy for is one of my favourites and omg we got to see his family and how is he a lovely papa 😭💕 I can't ask for more bless you MAPPA🤘

fuck them kids

Why should we feel bad for him? He tried to unite the world against Paradis. He got what he deserved.

this was a benefit. as manga readers, we had time to know willy. anime onlies will only ever have these 2-3 episodes and it was very humanizing

How is that possible that Tybur little kids in few seconds were louder nad more chaotic than THE WHOLE CITY DURING THE ATTACK??

It's very regrettable he left so many children fatherless because of what he chose to do. Really saddening..

I’d have rather seen more of the manga animated

I knew why they added it, but I (personally) think willy is crud. Not mad it's there tho!

He did his duty as a Tybur to the very end. Honestly I wish he could have lived longer, he’s a really compelling and interesting character.

I feel like some viewers have carelessly misunderstood Willy because of that scene in the carriage. They're like 'wow, he really hates and shames his own people huh?' but at the beginning of the episode we all saw his abundance of children. Would it not have been extremely contradictory if he had truly wanted the extinction of all Eldians and then at the same time did the complete opposite by mass-reproducing a small army of Eldian children? Maybe that's why that scene was added to the start of the episode, to keep people away from mischaracterising him. Unfortunately, this may have simply been missed or overlooked by some.

they should had polish the damn episode instead of fillers.

Loved it! Mappa is killing it with the episode additions

Reading the manga, I truly didn't even consider the possibility that these were Willy's children because he is so obviously a ~*bachelor*~. Like, it didn't even cross my mind that those children weren't his little nieces and nephews because he is suuuuch a Theater Gay. Nothing can change my mind.

Wait a minute, are these the kids in that ending slide from season 3?

IN THE ORIGINAL CHAPTER 101, MAGATH IS THE ONE WHO ADVOCATES FOR KILLING EREN INSTEAD OF EATING HIM (IN CONTRAST TO HIS SUBORDINATE KOSLOW) AND NOTES THAT “THE AGE OF TITANS IS OVER.” IN THE ADAPTATION, MAGATH INSTEAD ADVOCATES FOR EATING EREN, NOTING THAT KILLING HIM WOULD ONLY PROLONG THE PROBLEM. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CHANGE? 305 Responses

A minor dialogue change didn’t seem to have much of an effect on nearly half of respondents, with 47.5% saying they’re indifferent to the change. 43.3% like the change much better, feeling that it works a lot better with future story developments and makes more sense. A handful didn’t care for the change and felt it tampered with Magath’s overall characterization.

I think the change was logical and more consistent with the story, but I'm naturally skeptical of any AOT manga-to-anime change.

I forgot this.

It ovewrites the flaw of Magath's original plan. Even if I think its unfitting of him, it makes sense.

I'm not sure what I feel about it. Kinda like how they added Falco having a dream back in episode 1. For now, let's just see.

I suppose the new change is a little contradictory because Magath dislikes Marley’s reliance on Titan power and rather just wishes th ey had prowess in other ways.

Realistically eating him makes more sense for them to eat Eren so they gain control of the Founder but I think Magath accepting the age of Titans is now done for is more in character.

It obviously makes more sense logistically, but I think it's important for Magath to stand opposed to Marley national policy on this front, like, symbolically.

BETWEEN UDO AND ZOFIA, WHO WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO SURVIVE TO RECEIVE MORE STORY IN THE MANGA? 304 Responses

Though they are minor characters, the anime seems to have made some of the fandom a bit more fond of them. Still, 38.5% wouldn’t change anything about their fates, stating that they were necessary for Gabi to develop further as a character. 28% would rather neither of them died and are curious about how they would have developed if they lived to see another day. 23.7% say if they had to pick only one of them, it would be Udo due to his relevant commentary. A handful leaned toward Zofia, wishing they could have learned more about her.

Udo. But at the same time Isayama can barely handle all the characters that are still alive so Udo probably wouldn't get a lot of screen time anyway.

Zofia. I didn't care about her while reading the manga, but in the anime she was more unique. I liked her stoic voice a lot. Zofia and Gabi should have switch the places.

None cus i don't like Gabi

Both or neither. One would be just a third wheel to Gabi and Falco. I would love to see more of Udo and Zofia but I think their deaths were important

Udo and zofia's deaths hurt so bad. I didn't particularly care for either of them when reading the manga but i grown attracted to them in the anime. Udo's in particular breaks me. He was such a energic kid and he... got trampled to death. I'm just...

Neither. Both were serving an enemy nation and deserved what they got.

They weren't important to me so I don't really care

OPINION ON HOW THE ATTACK ON LIBERIO WAS PORTRAYED? 306 Responses

47.1% of respondents didn’t want to pick sides, stating that the attack was tragic in both mediums of the story-telling. 25.8% felt that it was much more devastating in animated form alongside the sound, music and voice acting. 18.3% felt a bigger impact while reading the manga.

Both versions are devastating, but Manga hit harder bc I just was so confused and couldn't stop trying to figure out wtf Eren was doing and why. Watching it knowing what I know made it somehow more devastating and yet also more palatable (bc I have a better understanding.)

It was more devastating in the manga. Especially Udo's death scene

I think I have to wait until the battle is over. So far it's alright.

Loved it

It gave me more emotions in the manga.

They got what they deserved

It was far more devastating in trailer 🙄

WE FINALLY HAVE A NAME FOR LADY TYBUR - LARA! THOUGHTS? 307 Responses

One of the few characters left with no name after the large guidebook released a few years ago, Lady Tybur was all we could call her (aside from fan-given names). Now she has an official name! 26.7% found it neat that we finally got this official detail. 25.4% feel that now they can finally sleep at night. 17.6% are forever grateful for the name drop and hated waiting so long for it. 15.3% don’t care at all and 11.7% feel this confirms that Isayama is a fan of Tomb Raider.

Not what I was expecting and wasn't expecting her to get a name. At least people can stop calling her Emma or those other dumbass meme names.

Cool. Next up: names for the Blouse kids, right? Right right?

I'm not kidding when I say I literally jumped up and screeched "SHE HAS A NAME!!!"

she didn't need it. she was the mysterious lady t.

Lara was more lucky than Traute, who got more panels in the manga but her name was mentioned only in the guidebook.

Still died

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 306 Responses

Of all the shots in the preview, 45.1% of respondents were most looking forward to Levi’s staged attack on Zeke. 17% favored seeing Mikasa assist Eren, 15% were most looking forward to seeing Falco emerge from the basement to see the carnage outside. 10.1% were stoked to see Pieck enter the battlefield. The episode has aired as of the publishing of these poll results - we hope these scenes lived up to the hype (even though we guessed one wrong lol).

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

I enjoyed the episode very much. I felt that the CGI was handled fairly well given the time restraints. However, there were a few instances where it was a bit jarring like Eren eating Willy, Eren pulling the WHT's cord, Mikasa landing on Eren, and Jean climbing up on the roof. Also some of the CGI models looked a bit weird for the scouts. I'm hoping some of these issues can be improved on in the Blue-ray version. Overall, these issues were noticeable but didn't take too much away from my enjoyment of the episode.

As much as I don't like the CGI, episode was great.

Just that it was fantastic and I can't wait for the next one!

The music is top notch. I love it. Especially the new version of XL TT near the end

After re-visiting the trailer we got for this season, it's just....saddening. Everyone was wondering how Mappa was gonna animate AoT and after seeing that trailer, all that effort by the animators, I thought "it's in good hands!". Now that we're getting the episodes and it's underwhelming. I don't blame the Mappa animators at all and cgi is unavoidable at some moments. But whoever are the higher ups who said "animate this in the shortest amount of time" ARE the assholes. It's so upsetting for this anime and the workers of it to be brought down like this :'(

Continuing to enjoy the pictures on the page come to life in the anime.

It was pretty amazing, I was waiting for so long to see this part animated! Aaand I'm so happy I got to see again the scouts! (expecially Connie, my personal fav)

Erwin should had lived instead of Armin, so Erwin can nuke Marley dropping from a blimp

I really liked it! I don't understand all the critics about the animation. It looks really neat and smooth

the SC backlit in that final scene was sickkkkk

It was different from the manga, but all the differences just improved the storytelling and fleshed out the people in Marley. Well done, MAPPA!

aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I’m just grateful Mappa actually gives a shit about adapting the story properly. That alone makes this season a 9/10 for me cause that’s rare to see in the anime industry these days.

THE OST WAS FIRE

Gabi's voice acting was amazing this episode ! Also, it feels good to hear the ODM gear sound effect again. The CGI didn't keep me from enjoying the fight, we got awesome camera movements and good choreography, I'm very hopeful for next episode ! Also best boy Onyankopon might appear soon ?

I seriously do not know why people are complaining. It was amazing! Can't wait for the next episodes, it's going to be action-packed and intense!

I don't know if I liked the episode or not. I usually prefer manga so even episodes I like I prefer their manga versions but there is something in off with the episode and usually, Titans fight are more excited but this one Nah it was not at all. War hammer was great in animation it served a better understanding of its powers but the fight, in general, was like boring?? idk maybe because I am a manga reader so the titan power/character's introduction was not as thrilling as they were when I've read the chapters. anyways, there is still more of the attack on liberio in the next episode so I'll give my final thought when we conclude the arc

I really enjoyed and the CGI doesn't bother me.

I think the reason Attack Titan looks a bit off is it looks a bit thinner! Warhammer looks amazing because it's a true copy of the manga. If Attack Titan was a bit buff, I think nobody would have that much of a problem. Overall the chapter is amazing!

as much as i adored everything else i must admit... what is wrong with the character design? what happened to everyone's jaws?? i think jean, mikasa and pieck were the worst drawn. in the manga, they look flawless.

I just hope we would get actual discussions in the sub instead of circle jerking or bitching about the cgi/ost etc.

The soundtrack was epic as hell

Mappa is doing a good job, with the little time they had. But sadly, they had the capacity to do way better and I will always regret this situation. And the Jojo memes on Mikasa are on point: in that specific panel, she looks ugly and unlike her cute face in the manga. For the rest of the episode, she's well portrayed

I think this episode is a taste of what is to come. It’s one thing to read still, silent pictures of complete devastation, and it’s another thing to hear the explosions, the screaming and crying. Seeing the blood painted red instead of black and white. When Eren rumbles the world, more people will realize how evil it is, how completely irredeemable. Less people will be #teameren once they get to see it in the anime. I can’t wait to see what MAPPA has in store.

So many nice details in the battle that weren’t there in the manga, the war hammer animation was particularly great

I feel bad complaining, but this was the first episode of the season that has disappointed me at all. Every other episode I feel has elevated the manga. I don't want (and never expected) to be that person, but the CGI, especially on the humans (WHY??) was so awkward it was distracting. We also lost a little bit of expressiveness from Eren, which is kind of a big deal when there's so little from him to begin with.

Soundtrack was lit!!!!

It is what it is. But after I finished the episode I went back to watch the trailer and got sad that the season just isn't going to look like that. It's not bad by any means and I understand that these are people, not robots working on this with an extremely tight schedule. This entitled fanbase is super embarrassing with it's behavior and harassment of the people working on it. I kind of hope the final arc doesn't get animated now because these people don't deserve it.

Awesome! I was a bit distracted how the pacing was, cutting a bit weirdly from one episode to another, but I really enjoyed it!

That closeup of Eren's Titan after he nom'd Willy is NUTS.

It was emotionless and almost boring. The sound director keeps fucking up big time. I didnt feel anything close to the hype I felt watching the Armored/Colossal reveal animated. There were no exciting goosebumps, or tears. Nothing. Also the CGI was terrible. There were good things, but I expected much more for suck a climatic episode

It was a good episode after all, graphic was ok but i think that if they continued with the same titan 2d animation of first episodes and maybe changed a bit some sound it would have been waaay better. Still a good episode imho

The episode was very average. I'm not trying to complain, I know that the anime is mostly for anime-onlines, while we have a manga, but I expected better. I imagined the titan fight to be smooth, but in reality both - WHT and AT - moved like two, fat elephants. In the manga I felt that WHT was fast like a wind. In the anime Lara was slow, she looked like she had a hard time to even hold her hammer. The moment between Eren and Mikasa was disappointing. In the anime when Mikasa was upset about Eren's actions, he was completely unfeeling, while in the manga we see him being full of emotions and almost crying. I know he will turn into a cold bastard but MAPPA shouldn't dehumanize Eren so much now. I was surprised by Connie's glow up. MAPPA has done better job with him. In the manga he still looks like a kid, while MAPPA made him more mature-looking and masculine. That's good for underrated Connie. I'm grateful for the scene between Willy and his children. This way he feels more sympathetic and isn't ""just a guy who declared a war and was eaten by Eren"".

I really like how the warriors and Marleyans seem to be getting a somewhat equal amount of screen time as the scouts have gotten after they've come into the picture. I hope this helps to make clear for the anime-onlies that understanding the experiences, emotions and the development of the other side is just as important as understanding those of the scouts/Paradis.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 279 Responses

Thank you again to everyone who participated!

#snk poll #snk polls #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #snk #aot #snk s4

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daily-dose-of-imagines · 4 years ago

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(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Matchup ♥

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Hi!! First of all I’d like to congratulate you guys on your 1000+ followers!! It’s a massive milestone and I’m so happy and proud of you guys for it!! Admittedly I’ve only just found your blog but after hours of scrolling through it I can honestly say that I truly admire the work you put into every one of your requests and fics!! You guys deserve this a lot xx

I’d like to request a match-up for Haikyuu (all male characters) if you guys don’t mind!! Also hopefully the description isn’t too long!! :’)

I’m a 20-year-old Leo girl who’s studying Biomedical Engineering and Arts (with an English major!!) in Sydney. I used to be a guitarist in a high school band and am in general more of an independent individual than a leader/follower.

Physically I’m short with a generally small frame, and have naturally curly hair (though I’ve straightened the top half now!!) dyed a dark rose-pink/brownish color with loose eyebrow-length side bangs on either side curling outwards!! I tend to have softer features and my eyes are on the smaller side HAHHAHAH. My wardrobe basically consists of black, white, brown and beige with lots of jeans, boots and belts and almost no dresses ahahahah. (tbh my icon is me so yall can reference that but I usually have my hair let down ahahahh)

I’m a shy person but some of my friends say I exude a quiet confidence HAHAHHAH. Other ways my friends/family have described me include: smart, kind, awkward, cute, determined, hardworking, creative and being a happy virus. I generally do well in my studies and am particularly good in Physics and English! I do have my flaws tho, I can be too playful at times to the point where it accidentally gets someone hurt, I’m usually running late, I have terrible mood swings and I can be selfish or a little too competitive at times (especially towards my younger siblings unfortunately). Also I’m basically the most indecisive person ever!!

I love writing but I have a problem with not knowing when to stop and hence tend to go beyond word limits. I write well in both creative and academic writing though! I also love spending time with my dogs, napping/playing with them etc. I tend to work out quite a lot and I particularly love cycling! I love being up early and generally don’t mind waking up early but I like my mornings quiet and calm as I enjoy my breakfast hahahhah! But I also tend to stay up till very late at night so I truly am lacking a lot of sleep. I tend to spend a lot of time in my room and I like it that way but I love fun social events like parties and weddings (I’m not sure why??). I love cartoons/animated films a lot idk why but they give me a sense of relief from all my stress and they just make me feel good after watching them?? I also love creating random customized stuff like designing a birthday cake for my brother or creating a specialty dish for Mother’s Day- things like that. Things I don’t like include: loud noises, inconsiderate people, snails, being looked down upon, judgemental and close-minded people, presentations in front of large crowds and chocolate (sorry!!).

Some aesthetics of mine include: the colors of fall, comfy knitted sweaters, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked bread, apple-scented objects, the fresh air on the top of a hill at the end of a hike, the wind in your face as you cycle down a hill, receiving or giving a customized gift, glass/transparency, deep ideas, hugging a dog (most furry animals), being in the middle of a bustling city, the sound of rain in the middle of the night, the serenity at dawn, wrapped up in your blanket watching your favorite tv show at night, getting work done at a cafe, the satisfaction having completed all your responsibilities, the way cereal and biscuits melt in your mouth after being soaked in milk for some time, hugs, doves being the symbol of peace and freedom, nyc apartments and theme parks.

My favorite food include pumpkins, Marie biscuits, cereal, artisan bread, almond milk, eggs with runny yolks, tomatoes, brocolli, mushrooms, bibimbap, sashimi salads, deli sandwiches, bruschetta, prawn dumplings, tiramisu, tangerines and flat rice noodle soups. My favorite books include Looking For Alaska by John Green and the Fire and Flood series by Victoria Scott. My favorite movies are Pitch Perfect (1&2 were good but 3 was kinda disappointing), The Devil Wears Prada, Wreck-It-Ralph, Inception, Enchanted, Kiki’s Delivery Service, the new Jumanji movies and Little Women. My favorite artists are One Direction and the kpop group Pentagon, which are basically the only two fandoms I’m apart of (if you don’t consider the 1D boys having 5 separate fandoms) and fandom life is a big part of who I am hahhahah. Oh! The Marvel fandom too as I absolutely adore Tony Stark and hence RDJ hahahah! My favorite TV Show is Friends (cliche I know) but also some animated series ahahhahh.

Have an amazing day!! xx

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Hello @ehlipses and thank you so much! I am so so so happy you like our work, it means a lot to us! And I sincerely hope you enjoy the boy I paired you up with!

>Admin 𝕋

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𝐼 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓅 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽...

Okay so, I feel as though Semi would be perfect for you! Admittedly when I saw that you played guitar in high school, I immediately knew that Semi would be very attracted to that, thinking he and you could definitely bond with music, and playing instruments. It would such a cute sight to behold! But on another not, he will be incredibly impressed that you are studying engineering, along with and English major! I see Semi as one who will be attracted to someone who is smart and independent, someone who can take care of themselves, and is more of a leader than a follower, yet would rather be an individual and not deal with labels. And you fit the bill to a T!

For appearance, I feel as though Semi would absolutely love you rhair! Like it won’t show in his face, but he would stare at it and just think that he wants to touch, to run his fingers through it, like all the time. It would become some sort of relaxation thing for him, especially before games to play with your hair! It would so freaking cute! And along with the style and the color of it? Yeah this boy would just love it; it would make him want to dye his own hair to make it cool like yours! Semi would love this soft look you have going on, and don’t think bad about your small eyes; Semi will think that just adds to your unique features, makes you different from the rest of the people he has met and known. It is what makes you, you and he will love it very much! And has for your style, he would be very appreciative of it, only because it is so cohesive! I feel as though Semi is a great sense of style and could see someone who also has a good sense of style and really appreciate it, and if you were the one with it? Well, that would just further his infatuation with you!

Semi will love how the things you love mostly line up with his! He loves writing music and he loves that you write as well, in the other sense! Semi would have this idea of where he writes a piece of music, and then he will ask you to write a story based around the music he produced! It would be such a cute thing between the two of you! Semi also likes to workout and would love to exercise with you, and have you show him how to cycle properly! He thinks it would be a great way to get closer to you, and just see how much cuter you could get to him! He will understand the feel of waking up early for some quiet time, though I see Semi as more of a person that would sleep in, he would enjoy your routine while he sleeps lolol. Your ambivert attitude would really intrigue Semi, how you can just spend endless hours in your room to going to social events and not have your energy drained would amaze him, seeing as I think Semi would tend to stay away from big crowds. He would be drawn to that brightness you have! Semi will like how crafty you are with your hands, going from baking a cake for your mom, to creating cuisines for special events. He will think those are great characteristics for someone, and would be glad to it is you that has it!

Semi also doesn’t like inconsiderate people, or judgemental and close minded people, so if you don’t like them and he doesn’t like them, it would be something you two can definitely bond on! I don’t see Semi being afraid of snails, but I see him thinking that it is extremely cute that you are afraid of them! He might tease you with one so be careful!

As for your aesthetics, I feel as though Semi will like all of them! Not necessarily because he likes all of them, but because all of them would remind him of you. From comfy knitted sweaters to the New York vibes, he would these things, feel these things, taste these things, and will automatically think about you. He won’t be able get you out of his head! And he would be okay with that, because that’s what he wants, to know you, think about you, love you, and be with you. Along with all the food you like to the fandoms you are in, he would be very supportive in what you like, in what you are interested in because all he is interested in is to see you happy with whatever you love, with whatever makes you interested in life, what makes you happy. And he would help in anyway he can, to make you just as happy!

#submission #submissions #matchup #anime matchups #haikyuu!!#haikyuu!! matchup #Haikyuu!! x you

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bandyisdandy · 4 years ago

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Persona 4 Golden - The Rainbow Connection (2/10/21)

Anyone who knows me within the space of gaming knows that my favorite game of all time is arguably Persona 5 Royal. The game just oozes personality and fun from the get-go. It is easy enough to pick up and check out, but also deep enough to keep you engaged for hours upon hours, hungering for more even after the credits roll on your 80 to 120 hour experience. Saying this, I also have to admit that, while it is the fifth entry in the franchise, I had never played another Persona before vanilla 5. Whenever hardcore players of the series I met over the years heard this, they insisted I play 3 and/or 4 before I go on saying that 5/Royal is my favorite in the franchise. This past January, I decided to finally pull the trigger and check out Persona 4 Golden on Steam. After playing the game for about 70 hours, I defeated the true final boss and finally put the controller down for a bit. All I can say is... what a god damn magical experience this was.

Persona 4 is a JRPG (Japanese Role-playing Game) that puts you in control of Yu, a high schooler living in the middle of Tokyo who is moving in to the country with his police officer uncle and young cousin while his parents go away for a year on business. While there, you meet a young man named Yosuke and a girl named Chie who tell you about a mysterious phenomenon known as the Midnight Channel that shows up when a heavy fog rolls into town and the clock strikes midnight. One night, while viewing this phenomenon, a girl appears in the screen who looks an awful lot like a senior to the students at their school. The next day, her corpse is found strung up on a telephone pole, baffling the police due to the fact that a similar death took place around the time of Yu’s arrival. While investigating the murder of their senior, Yu and Yosuke discover they can enter a special television at a department store, where they meet Teddie, a living teddy bear who can lead them through the fog-dense world within the TV. Upon finding a space where their senior once was, they fight beings known as Shadows and awaken Persona, living embodiments of their fighting spirit as well as their own belief and acceptance of themselves in order to do combat with the Shadows. After their victory, they figure out that someone pushed the upperclassman into the world within the television and the Midnight Channel prophesizes the deaths of those who appear on it. Using this knowledge, Yu and Yosuke continue to make friends, investigate the case, and do their best to uncover the culprit before a year is up and Yu must return home.

... That seems like a lot, right? Well, crazily enough, that is probably the first 5 hours or so at most, and there is another 65+ to go in your first playthrough. Now, this game, at first, is a tough sell especially if you are like me and played 5/Royal first as those games have spoiled our perceptions of what the franchise is and can be. Persona 4 Golden is definitely a step down visually as well as design and music-wise in comparison to 5. It just does not have the same substance that game does and the gameplay, in comparison, feels a bit dated here. The Shadows you encounter in 5′s dungeons are also the enemies you actually fight this time around and the Tarot Card system makes collecting and recruiting Persona much more annoying than the way 5 handles it in combat. However, while it sounds like I am being quite harsh on the game, in reality, this is by and far one of the best JRPGs I have ever played and cannot be recommended by me more. Since I got all the negatives out of the way, let’s look at the heaps of praise I have for this triumph of a game.

First and foremost, what really sets this game above and beyond a lot of others, maybe even doing this better in many respects than Persona 5/Royal, is the characters. Every character is just so damn interesting, and really adds so much charm to what is already a rather charming game. They bring the story as well as the countryside town you now find yourself in that much brighter and bigger. Each one has goals, values, idealizations, and realizations that flesh them out more than most games I have played, all of them having incredibly satisfying conclusions to their stories. Some stand outs for me are your young cousin Nanako, who is lonely due to her father always working as a police officer and her mother passing away in a car accident a few years prior to the start of the game, Kanji Tatsumi, a punk who uses violence and fear to mask his incredibly soft, caring side that enjoys arts and crafting more than he would care to admit, and Naoto Shirogane, a young detective hiding her femininity in order to find power and prestige in the world of private investigation which, in Japan especially, is a male dominated field - these are just some of the memorable characters you will meet. I am currently doing a second playthrough and have already met two characters I never encountered in my first playthrough that are honestly becoming some of my favorites in the series! Building relationships (yes, even romantic ones with your female classmates) is key to not only finding out more about them, but also key to getting stronger, unlocking abilities and weapons for you to use in your playthrough that will seriously make the game not only easier but I would go as far as to say more fun in regards to what possibilities open up to you in combat. Growing the bond between you and your friends within your party is also the only way to strengthen and evolve their Persona to bigger and better forms, making combat flow easier but also giving one a true sense of power, purpose and meaning in the memories you create with Yosuke and the gang.

The other thing that really made me fall in love with Persona 4 Golden is its story and location. While the bustling cityscape of Tokyo and Shibuya really makes Persona 5 and Royal feel big and grandiose in its vision of what a modern JRPG can be, Persona 4 Golden, while feeling smaller in comparison, feels much more unique and, weirdly enough, nostalgic - at least for me. The town of Inaba is small with little to do at first, but it still has some beautiful and honestly quite intriguing sights to see (I’m looking at you, Greedy Shrine Fox). As you become more accustomed to the town and what it offers, it surprises you and opens up even more based on your time within the game, the weather outside, and even the time of the day you are out and about exploring. I grew up in a small town outside of Boston and while it’s not exactly like Inaba, the parts I spent most of my days remind me of it - areas covered in trees near streams with small restaurants and bars nearby, nature trails to walk, seeing mostly the same people each and every day - it really sent me back to life growing up when I was the age of the characters and truly made the game something memorable and instantly connected me to what was happening. As for the plot, I am a sucker for a murder mystery - I love true crime and have always loved police or detective shows growing up. Being able to work towards a case and have your decisions, investigations, and choices up to certain points have merit and weight behind them in regards to what ending you get is absolutely amazing and really sets the tone for a game that shrouds you in mystery and keeps you at the edge of your seat at all times, all the while still finding the time to help you enjoy the ride with laughter, tears, and dialogue that just really gets to you from beginning to end, sticking with you even after you’ve beaten it. Throw in some seriously fantastic boss fights, great music, and top notch voice acting for the time and it all adds up to a package with so much content and so much to tell you along the way that you just can’t help but keep playing until you absolutely have to put it down, only to continue for hours and hours later on.

All in all, Persona 4 Golden is a seriously fun game. While I still think Persona 5 Royal is a better game than it, I cannot stop thinking about the journey it took me on. The places I saw, the people I met and became friends with along the way - it’s a surreal, dream-like game that really gets you thinking right from the beginning and keeps you on your toes until the bitter end. I found myself engrossed in the lives of these characters, worried for them anytime something happened to them within the context of the game’s narrative and only hopes to see them come out on top, and thankfully this was usually the case in my playthrough thanks to the choices I made. I can only wonder what would have happened if I chose things differently - where would my characters have ended up at the end of all this? Would things have gotten worse for them? Who knows - all I know is that once the game was over, I had nothing but smiles and happiness going through my head as I saw my friends say goodbye and I loaded up my stuff onto the train. All those precious moments, etched into my mind forever; the hardships of the dungeons, the toughness of the Shadows, the mystery of the killer - that’s how you create a great game narrative, and finish it with an even greater, satisfying ending. Check out Persona 4 Golden on Steam TODAY if you liked this review! https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/1113000/

#persona #persona 4 #persona 4 golden #persona 5 #sega #atlus #smt #pc #pc gaming #gaming #steam #review #retrospective #video games #gaming blog #blog

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silvermoon822 · 5 years ago

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So I’m doing a lot of work in and on comics lately

Professional and hobby. I am just so proud of the improvement I’m seeing in my work lately. All the hard work and years spent practicing anatomy, story telling, layout, color and light theory, and contour lines/line weight, I’m finally seeing it all come together to form work that I am honestly so excited about.

While the new results will not be shown to the public until January 8th (Bowiemas), I just wanted to thank and point other people towards some of the artists who have so greatly inspired me and that I’ve used as indirect teachers in my growth.

First and foremost, I have to give my absolute thanks and admiration to the lovely @colleendoran . Her comics, especially the series A Distant Soil, have become one of the central pillars on my “Future Goals”. The storytelling and characters, the way she artfully shows such emotion and layout design is nothing short of awe inspiring. She was one of the main inspirations behind the style in this piece:

And has absolutely been one of the biggest inspirations behind the Ziggy blog. Ziggy’s Aresian surname, Seren, is named after my favorite character of hers. The Aresian avatar, Aeryis, was also a nod to a few characters of the hierarchy in A Distant Soil, namely Sere and Niniri.

Idk about you guys, but I can definitely feel Colleen’s influence on my work in this set.

Another notable inspiration would be the work of @nielgaiman . While working on the story that will be released this upcoming Bowiemas, I was devouring books such as Stardust, Sandman, Snow Glass Apples, Coraline (a favorite to re-read) and Good Omens. Niel has such a way with words and atmosphere that I would love to achieve in my own work, and hope to use his influence to hone that skill.

The work of Wendy and Richard Pini was really what got me started on wanting to do more in comics. The narrative and colors used in Elfquest has captured my attention since I was in middle school, and they never cease to amaze me with their clothing designs and plot twists. I had the absolute pleasure of getting to meet both of them this summer, and it was one of the first and only times I found myself dumbstruck by the sheer “OH MY GOD ITS THEM” of it all. They were so kind and encouraged me to keep drawing.

And naturally, my list of major influences wouldn’t be complete without David Bowie. While that’s no big shock to anyone who has followed or even just glanced at my blog and portfolio, I really can’t stress enough how much David has meant to me. After he passed, it hurt my heart too much to truly delve into his work and characters as hardcore as I had been before, and it’s only just within the last few months that I’ve been sliding back into surrounding myself with his music and influence. I truly couldn’t thank him enough for the push he’s not only given my art towards improving, but for the sheer will to fight my screwed up serotonin levels and to love myself enough to keep on pushing through the tough times.

These artists are so very important to me, and I can’t express my gratitude enough for the guidance their work has given me. While I’m not anywhere near perfect yet, it’s such a fun thing to be able to look at the journeys and works of these brilliant people and know that one day I might be that good too.

Thank you so much, everyone

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sparda3g · 6 years ago

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Kimetsu no Yaiba Chapter 166 Review

youtube

Kokushibou is no joke whatsoever. If his calmness and lack of any expression other than curiosity didn’t tell you that, I don’t know what does. Actually, this latest chapter will certify that claim. It was horrifying enough with Tokito easily overwhelmed; it only gets worse from here, unless that man pulls a miracle. This chapter was damn riveting with yet another horrifying display and surprisingly, a heartwarming scene that instantly changed my mind.

I like that Gotouge sometimes uses the chapter’s cover to illustrate a moment from elsewhere, instead of using multiple pages. It’s not necessary to exploit it with exposition; it can be shown in one image. In this case, we now know Tanjiro is reading the letter about a huge possibility to defeat Muzan. It could be the deal breaker, though we won’t know until he goes for it, let alone learn it. With that out of the way, it’s back to the horror story.

Kokushibou easily impressed me the last time. We’ve never seen his sword yet, so more shock value is on hold. It only makes me even more worried. It’s good for interest level, but bad for me that truly cares about these characters. Even if Tokito doesn’t die, him becoming a demon is bad enough; fate worse than death. The first page was sort of convincing that it was going to happen. The second page helps the nerve, but the tension remains high.

I’m mixed about Genya appearing. I’m happy for he will have a moment to shine and save Tokito, somehow, someway. I’m upset because he’s about to go up against Upper Moon 1 who singlehanded defeat a Pillar. It’s telling when Genya is scared to pull the trigger. One move, one fail, God help them all. That alone got me nervous. But that feeling is nothing compared to the follow-up.

Kokushibou is scary as hell, all thanks to well thought-out sequence. Your nerves were running wild with Tokito about to convert to a demon. Kokushibou explains in an eerie fashion, as Genya takes aim from behind. Then the very next page, Kokushibou appears instantly behind him, asking if he agrees. That’s so unnerving. His dialogue flow perfectly, as if all three were always in the conversation. That’s how you display a serious threat. I haven’t felt this frightened since Arima from Tokyo Ghoul. The hype, the atmosphere, and overall presentation had me convinced.

The last chapter was tough to watch Tokito losing badly. This one however is even worse. I gasped hard when I saw Genya’s arm sliced off, and you can’t even see it happen in motion. He’s a demon, so he should be fine. Still, the way how the scene plays out gives you damn chills. Genya goes for a swing and that arm gets sliced off as well. Again, you can’t see the motion. It’s so instantaneous, his Demon Art might as well be Time-Travel.

Genya should be fine, but good God almighty, Kokushibou wasn’t done. Cutting his arms weren’t enough, so he just cuts him in half. I’m all out of gasp. This is brutal; no, it’s insanity. I don’t know what to believe anymore. You have Genya trying to reach for his arm, which by the way, a nice subtle development compare to the last arc. He is more of a real fighter now, and I respect that. You have Tokito trying to remove the sword, and he’s the only hope to save Genya. “Live or die” is the name of a game. It’s hell of an intensity that leads to a hell of a surprise.

Sanemi comes to save his little demon brother. Now, this is surprising to me because of couple of reasons. One is that Sanemi appears out of nowhere with a badass attack, Rising Dust Storm. Hell, he even has a one-liner moment. Second is how happy I was to see him, and yet, this is the same guy that I detested a lot in the past, especially the time when he was harming Nezuko. Lastly, he never comes to my mind because his impression has been rough, and for writing perspective, that’s a good thing.

I was under impression that Sanemi was a total prick. Even Tanjiro don’t like him. I didn’t think of him as a possible savior, because he looks like a guy who wouldn’t mind his brother getting killed. Fans would be deceived to think him as a cold brother who wants to kill all demons; nothing more, nothing less. It is now that we get to see him in a more shockingly sentimental side, and honestly, I am so shocked that I feel stupid for my dislike for him.

I’m not saying everyone should feel the same, but you should reconsider his character as a whole after he expresses his genuine feelings. It’s worth mentioning that he has been stroke hard with sad and dark reality as of late, which is probably why he’s more collective. When Ubuyashiki died, he was legitimately broken up. It’s like his insane persona is what keeps him alive and motivated, and judging by his words here, it really sounds like it.

The flashback with Tanjiro’s words of wisdom is touching; adds more to the drama that needs to bring them close once again. By the way, Tanjiro sitting on Inosuke’s back is so funny to look at. The point is, despite Sanemi being rowdy and bashful at Genya’s action, nothing has changed. He’ll always love him. Take it from Tanjiro; he knows sibling love all too well. Amazing how these characters can benefit from each other. If his words weren’t convincing enough, Sanemi will settle it.

I was surprised about him caring about Genya, but I’m even more surprised when he speaks in sincere tone. His words are strikingly heartfelt. It’s his deepest regret that his little brother has become a demon. He couldn’t save his family. He couldn’t save their future. That hits me hard. Genya makes the scene warmer with his only reply, “I’m sorry.” I mentioned this in another series that I reviewed, but brotherly love always gets to me, and this is no exception. To sum it up, Sanemi is more or less a tsundere, and that’s fine. I really like the fact you don’t see his face during the tender moment. You don’t know if he’s sad, smiling, or anything. You can only judge by his words and its tone, and that enough makes this scene so heartwarming.

You can damn well tell he’s pissed when you do see his face however. The action has just started and already, it’s promising as hell. The glimpse of the main course is stellar with its solid sequence. The baseball slide from Sanemi is slick, but couldn’t get Kokushibou, even with Dust Whirlwind Cutter. At least it looks awesome. It’s a relief that finally someone is able to force Kokushibou to draw his sword. I thought his design is great, but now I can say the same for his sword. Nasty, but a great complementary to the overall.

This was a great chapter. The tension remains strong and believable. I was cringing badly during Genya’s downfall. Sanemi was a character that I really didn’t like because of his attitude. Now that we got a clearer image, it’s a lot more understandable. You don’t have to forgive him, but I am willing to give him a chance. Plus his brotherly love was heartfelt and sincere. I believe his sorrow, even without seeing his expression. The artwork is solid and the action looks very promising with a slight of hope showing. I should note Kokushibou mentioned about brothers; I wonder if he had one. Three slayers should be fine to take on him; or is it? We could only wait and see.

#demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #chapter 166 #review #spoilers

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elo-kodon · 5 years ago

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Pass the happy! ❤️🌈 When you receive this list 5 things that make you happy and send this to 10 of the last people in your notifications.

Aw hello :3 i'll try my best :) 5 things that make me happy: 1. Good stories!: Stories are the one thing that really connect us all as people in this world. Good stories are so dear to me, they make me happy, make me laugh, make me cry, and are such an inspiration! And not to mention a soothing escape in these troubling times. Some of my fave stories, manga, and animes: -Haikyuu!! -Bungou Stray Dogs -FMA Brotherhood -Yuri on Ice -K Project -Psycho Pass -Acid Town -Harry Potter -Thief Lord -Peter Pan -Anne of Greene Gables -X Men -Stranger Things -Akira -Neon Gen -DuRaRaRa! -Naruto -Kiki's Delivery Service -Spirited Away -Castle in the Sky -Summer Wars -Black Butler -She Ra -Life is Strange -Case Closed You get the idea lol. 2. Music! Oof, music really helps with everything. It seriously gives me so much life and warmth when i need it the most and there's definitely a song and artist out there for every single mood for every single day! Also a great source of inspiration, Some of my fave musicians, bands, and artists: -Tove Lo -Florence and the Machine -Charlie XCX -The Decemberists -TORRES -Banks -The Strokes -Lil Peep -Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac -Lil Skies -GOT7 -Sunmi 3. Art/Color As an art/design major, i cant deny that all art that i see every single day leaves an emotional impact on me, whether it's just made me smile, made me think, made me day dream. be filled with wonder, etc. There are so many wonderful artists and creators on this site that i will need to come back and make a masterlist of my fave artists/creators so y'all can check them out! Worry not, it's on my to do list! 4. Fan Fiction No lie, fan fiction and fan works of my fave series has seriously made me so happy these past few years. I can honestly say it's left so much a positive impact and outlook on my life and I will probably continue to read fanfiction til the day i die, no lie. There are SOOO many talented people who can use words and other stories to create some of the most beautiful visions and stories and scenes that I've ever got the honor to read. There have been many times where fan fiction has made me resonate so much more with a particular anime or characters from said animes and it's amazing that people can create new worlds from a fandom and turn it into something super meaningful to others reading it out there. Sometimes i feel like fans understand their characters just as much, maybe even more, than the original writers/animators/manga artists. And that is truly a beautiful, awe-inspiring thing. And dont let anyone tell you otherwise, keep writing and sharing your silly stories and au's and one shots that you think wont matter cause i guarantee you that they mean so much to all of those reading it! -I also need to make another masterlist of my favorite fanfiction/one shot/au creators cause just saying a general thank you is not enough lol. Some of y'all have gotten me through some lonely nights and some of y'all have definitely made me lose sleep pouring over your stories but wow, it was so worth it, i haven't ever regretted reading any of your stories lol. 5. And finally...y'all! People in general! I know we all joke about tumblr being a shit show and our fandoms being our hellscapes but i dont regret ever making any of my blogs. Everyone's so nice and chill in every fandom i've been a part of, especially the Haikyuu and BSD fandoms and we all encourage one another do our best and keep creating content :) Thanks so much to everyone who leaves nice comments on my work, or who add thoughts to my manga posts! Or to anyone who followed me in the first place, lol. I know im not the best content creator/fanfic writer out there but I do appreciate every single comment/notification i get on this blog and on my work! It really drives me to push myself creatively and inspires me to continue making fandom content on things that I love. I am not good at remembering who all to tag so I will either make a second post tagging the ten people for this challenge or I might just send it individually to y'all inboxes. Shout out to @semdere for tagging me in this positivity chain! #elo speaks

Aw hello :3 i’ll try my best :) 5 things that make me happy: 1. Good stories!: Stories are the one thing that really connect us all as people in this world. Good stories are so dear to me, they make me happy, make me laugh, make me cry, and are such an inspiration! And not to mention a soothing escape in these troubling times. Some of my fave stories, manga, and animes: -Haikyuu!! -Bungou Stray Dogs -FMA Brotherhood -Yuri on Ice -K Project -Psycho Pass -Acid Town -Harry Potter -Thief Lord -Peter Pan -Anne of Greene Gables -X Men -Stranger Things -Akira -Neon Gen -DuRaRaRa! -Naruto -Kiki’s Delivery Service -Spirited Away -Castle in the Sky -Summer Wars -Black Butler -She Ra -Life is Strange -Case Closed You get the idea lol. 2. Music! Oof, music really helps with everything. It seriously gives me so much life and warmth when i need it the most and there’s definitely a song and artist out there for every single mood for every single day! Also a great source of inspiration, Some of my fave musicians, bands, and artists: -Tove Lo -Florence and the Machine -Charlie XCX -The Decemberists -TORRES -Banks -The Strokes -Lil Peep -Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac -Lil Skies -GOT7 -Sunmi 3. Art/Color As an art/design major, i cant deny that all art that i see every single day leaves an emotional impact on me, whether it’s just made me smile, made me think, made me day dream. be filled with wonder, etc. There are so many wonderful artists and creators on this site that i will need to come back and make a masterlist of my fave artists/creators so y'all can check them out! Worry not, it’s on my to do list! 4. Fan Fiction No lie, fan fiction and fan works of my fave series has seriously made me so happy these past few years. I can honestly say it’s left so much a positive impact and outlook on my life and I will probably continue to read fanfiction til the day i die, no lie. There are SOOO many talented people who can use words and other stories to create some of the most beautiful visions and stories and scenes that I’ve ever got the honor to read. There have been many times where fan fiction has made me resonate so much more with a particular anime or characters from said animes and it’s amazing that people can create new worlds from a fandom and turn it into something super meaningful to others reading it out there. Sometimes i feel like fans understand their characters just as much, maybe even more, than the original writers/animators/manga artists. And that is truly a beautiful, awe-inspiring thing. And dont let anyone tell you otherwise, keep writing and sharing your silly stories and au’s and one shots that you think wont matter cause i guarantee you that they mean so much to all of those reading it! -I also need to make another masterlist of my favorite fanfiction/one shot/au creators cause just saying a general thank you is not enough lol. Some of y'all have gotten me through some lonely nights and some of y'all have definitely made me lose sleep pouring over your stories but wow, it was so worth it, i haven’t ever regretted reading any of your stories lol. 5. And finally…y'all! People in general! I know we all joke about tumblr being a shit show and our fandoms being our hellscapes but i dont regret ever making any of my blogs. Everyone’s so nice and chill in every fandom i’ve been a part of, especially the Haikyuu and BSD fandoms and we all encourage one another do our best and keep creating content :) Thanks so much to everyone who leaves nice comments on my work, or who add thoughts to my manga posts! Or to anyone who followed me in the first place, lol. I know im not the best content creator/fanfic writer out there but I do appreciate every single comment/notification i get on this blog and on my work! It really drives me to push myself creatively and inspires me to continue making fandom content on things that I love. I am not good at remembering who all to tag so I will either make a second post tagging the ten people for this challenge or I might just send it individually to y'all inboxes. Shout out to @semdere for tagging me in this positivity chain! #elo speaks

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unworthy-stars · 7 years ago

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“One Last Time” (Kitri Variation Series)

The request to continue writing about Ballet RoChu AU was made by @mimizuku9 (I am sorry for the delay)

I have other two stores one-shots, if you want (please tell me if I want to tag you or not)

The series will be called “Kitri Variation” but it will just be random one-shots.

Enjoy!

Wang Yao was heading to the showers after a tiring day of practise. He didn't have the luck of meeting Braginsky that day. The female choreographer in the room next to his said that he was present but she had heard no music nor steps from the room next to hers. Wang barely understood her words since he wasn't familiar with Russian but got the conclusion that only Braginsky's ghost had appeared that day.

He tried to forget it and focused on going to rest. After all tomorrow would be a new day and his teacher woul surely appear to show him more tricks.

'Hey Wang. Want to come with us tonight? There will be hot chicks involved' one of his comrades during team practise suggested while passing by his side.

'That sounds lovely, I may meet you.' Wang replied with a smile and the guy nodded back.

As Wang was walking he heard a familiar tune. Of course he recognised Tchaikovsky's pas de deux for Swan Lake for the role of the Black Swan. It was one of the duets he'd like to dance even once, either dancing as Von Rothbart or the prince charming of the ballet play. The music was splendid, expected from a master of the masters in romantic music, and it just made him dance along without thinking.

He went towards the source of the sound only to realise it was playing from the small room for the beginners. The beginners had already finished their daily routine and Wang estimated that they would be home resting or eating a proper meal. There was no way that someone hadn't left.

Wang opened the door only to see Ivan Braginsky dancing along the famous tune. He was wearing a really glamorous and shiny costume which must have cost more than two hundred euros. He was jumping here and there in delicate sissones like a flying bird. The choreohraphy was altered significally like it was adjusted for a male protagonist. But his moves just blended beautifully with the music.

His only fault was his expression. Ivan looked scared, afraid of the floor like it was lava. Not only that but his icey blue eyes spotted on the ground like he would fall. Probably he hadn't danced in a long time.

Wang shook his head amazed by Ivan's marvellous technical skills. However, the moment after the music stopped and Ivan wasn't wearing the fancy costume but mere black shorts and a white ragged T-Shirt.

It had all been Wang's imagination. That was Ivan's power when dancing; dazzling everyone with his skills.

Soon Ivan started doing a series of turns, including pirouettes and fouettes. Ivan however stared at the ground which caused him to fall on his thighs.

Wang ran to help him get up. He had fallen enough times to know what to do whenever in pain. He guessed that Ivan knew better than him, however he could never stay apathetic about someone's pain.

'Thank you Wang...I am sorry for keeping you.' Ivan was held by Wang and got up within seconds 'For your petit shape, you are actually quite strong.'

'Despite your immense height, you are actually as heavy as a feather.' Wang replied and looked down 'Your dance, professor...I haven't seen something like that. It was inspiring!'

Ivan wasn't listening to Wang. He had formed a nice well-built body, worthy of a ballet dancer. He wished that he still had the same shape as before. But he prefered to see someone else take his place rather than toiling himself all over again.

'Eh...ah...at least I fell forward. To be honest, I wish I don't dance again. When I was young and ambitious, I hoped that my last dance would be on stage somewhere in Australia. It turns out that the last dance I truly wanted was this.' Ivan admitted as he approached his sport bag to find some water.

Wang remained in the center of the room. The wooden floor was designed like this to make every single false detail echo. However Ivan didn't make a sound. His landings were perfect.

'I want to see you dance more, but you cannot tame a dancer. His soul is wilder than a lion's. At least I saw you dance once and that is more than enough for me.'

Ivan stopped drinking water and closed the bottle furiously and with two big steps he was a breath away Wang. The student gasped by the Russian teacher's strictness. His moves were sharp and fast but omitted a certain sweetness and passion at the same time just like Prokofiev's pieces.

'I was wrong. I do not want that to be my last dance. Wait here.' he said with his hoarse voice and ran as fast as he could after having fallen on the floor.

Wang waited patiently. He was curious but couldn't go and see himself because that would be disrespectful to his teacher. A teacher in ballet is a master and his advices should be taken as orders.

Within a minute Wang saw Ivan's beautiful round face. He had brought the pianist of the Academy, the bald man that Wang had previously danced for. The pianoman smiled at the student and sat on the chair in front of the piano of the room.

Each room had a piano and a CD player. It was said that each piano had a different voice and every piece could be heard differently in each room even if the same notes were played.

'Kitri Variation, Act 1' Ivan ordered and the pianist nodded and prepared himself 'Wang, you know this is for Kitri, the female protagonist of Don Quixote. Follow my steps; we will make Kitri Variation a pas de deux for Romeo and Mercutio.'

Wang and the pianist nodded at the same time. Wang winked at Ivan who was heading towards corner six.

'Okay. On forth with the left foot in front, you know like the Spanish. Rond de jambe en dehors with the right foot in front ending to a bend knee transfer of weight in forth while the left arm is in sixth and the right in fifth. Chasse with the left foot and then grand jeté at three, sissone over and then four pas de chat at seven. Fouettés en dedans and then improvise.'

Wang understood and got in the mood. His furious death glare was accompanied by Ivan's bright smile full of pride. Two different expressions for the same piece, like fire and water.

They both stood in forth waiting for the pianist to start. With a single note both dancers began to move around the room.

Ivan's jumps almost reached the sky while Wang followed staying relatively low but sharp and in character. Their en dehors were parallel with the walls like someone had hit them with a pan. Ivan looked happy and Wang knew that he was also giving it his everything.

Wang started to improvise but could not resist following his teacher's steps. He admitted himself that he was not creative, but a strong learner. He was like a parrot, repeating sounds but by itself it produces only a chirp.

The fast tempo started and the ballerina was supposed to do a series of pirouettes on pointes while men appeared at the side keeping her in line. Ivan started to do a circle of pirouettes all over the room. Wang stopped and started to clap to give him a standard tempo, just like an actual audience would do. The teacher finished with an arabesk and then landing on his knee.

'Bravo Mr. Braginsky! That was amazing!' Wang clapped more.

Ivan turned to the pianist and leaned forward. He did a big step to the right and bowed in front of Wang as well. His smile reached his ears and his eyes were shining. His face was red and covered by a thin layer of sweat. His muscled pale arms were wet too.

Ivan exhaled and ran to embrace Wang. He did as said and I may add tightly. He then kissed his two cheeks and smiled.

'Now I am done with dancing.' he said and patted the student's wide shoulder.

Wang had forgotten about the meeting with his classmates and he honestly didn't care. He prefered his teacher's company and he also loved to hear more of the sentimental piano pieces the pianist played.

'For someone who has decided that dancing is not anymore his possession, you surely do own the stage Mr. Braginsky,' the pianist said in English so Wang could comprehend.

Ivan sighed and replied 'Dancing was never my possession. No one can own any art. Dancing was merely my obsession.'

#request done mission achieved #kitri variation (series)#rochu #aph russia #aph china #the-awesome-sia

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rescuesirens · 8 years ago

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NC Mermania 2017, part 2 - Mermaiding

From Jess (originally posted on rescuesirens.com, January 31st, 2017): It’s hard to believe, but I haven’t written yet about my mermaid tail! I’ve posted a handful of tail photos here on the “Rescue Sirens” website as well as pictures and video clips on Instagram and Tumblr, but this is the first time I’ve blogged about it, and I don’t know if I can do it justice with mere words. My mermaid tail is a wearable, working piece of art.

Although it’s been around for decades, the sport, performance, or hobby of mermaiding has really taken off in recent years. Today, you can buy an affordable fabric tail that slips over a plastic monofin (a device, as the name suggests, that looks like a pair of fins fused together, designed to contain both feet and keep a swimmer’s legs together to aid in the dolphin kick), or you can spring for a variety of other materials, varying in price up to $4,000 or more. One of the most popular materials is silicone, and there are multiple tailmakers who create truly stunning silicone mermaid tails for swimming. My tail and matching top were handcrafted by Raven and Tyler Sutter of Merbella Studios Inc., based in my home state of Florida.

The story behind the creation of my tail is pretty magical. On our family vacation to Orlando in August of 2015, Chris, his daughter Nicole, and I made a side trip to meet Raven and Tyler at historic Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Florida’s “City of Live Mermaids.” There, I got to view the fabled springs for myself for the first time -- I grew up in Florida and spent a lot of time at Ginnie Springs over the years as well as Silver Springs and Homosassa, but, almost unbelievably, I’d never visited Weeki Wachee… and now here I was in this iconic mermaid mecca, with Mermaid Raven, seeing one of her gorgeous silicone mermaid tails in person! Wow!

I was so impressed with her handiwork’s artistry and flawless construction, and even more impressed with Raven and Tyler themselves: they’re brilliant, beautiful, fun, and phenomenally talented people who I feel very fortunate to call my friends today.

That first meeting. As you can see, we all got caught in a Florida thunderstorm!

Before we parted ways, Tyler and Raven took detailed measurements of my lower body so they could custom-build my tail, and I left Weeki Wachee looking forward to the day when I could try it on and go for my first swim.

Both the tail and the top that went with it were going to be designed as a “realistic” version of Nim’s, the Rescue Siren whose appearance Chris based on mine, and I was curious to find out how Raven would adapt Chris’s drawings into something that had to obey the laws of physics and look like it “belonged” on a real human being (as opposed to a cartoon), while still retaining the spirit of Nim’s design. Over the next eight months, Raven periodically sent work-in-progress photos as she sculpted Nim’s flukes and fins as well as the leafy, kelp-like halter top that Nim wears in her undersea home, Lophelia. Even in humble gray clay, everything looked amazing.

In April of 2016, Chris and I took another trip to Florida, and we made plans with Raven and Tyler to spend some time at Orlando’s YMCA Aquatic Center. The Y features a seventeen-foot-deep dive well, and I was beside myself with excitement at the idea of hanging out with Raven again and even getting to swim together. I knew that she was close to completing my tail and had already finished my top, but I wasn’t expecting to receive them until May, so I figured she’d bring one of her extra tails and I could borrow it for our swim. Imagine the look on my face, then, when Raven unveiled my very own Nim tail in the YMCA’s parking lot! It was so unexpected that I actually didn’t register what I was seeing for several moments, and then I squealed and squeezed Raven half to death.

Raven had taken the images of Nim that Chris had drawn and she had made them real. The delicate curling fronds of Nim's seaweed top, with sparkling green crystals imbedded amongst the gentle floral curves... the sweeping lines of Nim's graceful tail -- "blue as the ocean in the morning," scales glittering with iridescent shine -- from the flawless transition at the blended waist to the lightly ribbed dorsal, adipose, and ventral fins, all the way down to the immense flukes: three feet wide and ingeniously hiding a Finis Competitor monofin within.

Raven still had some finishing touches to put on my tail’s paint job, but I could try it on and go swimming with her!

I didn’t truly understand the phrase “fits like a glove” until I put on my Nim tail. It was made to conform to my body exactly, and, boy, does it do that. Even with Raven’s help, I swear it took me something like an hour and half to wriggle into my tail that first time. I’ve since gotten it down to under ten minutes (again, with my husband Chris’s help), but, if I hadn’t had Raven there to show me what to do at first, I honestly don’t know if I would’ve believed I could get into that tail. Once it’s on, it fits like a second skin, which makes moving through the water effortless. (Loose tails can flap around a person’s waist and legs, catching water as they swim and creating drag.) And once it was finally on that first time, I took off into the dive well… and I felt like I was flying.

When you’re wearing a mermaid tail, you can’t really get a good look at yourself while you’re swimming, so what made me do a double-take was seeing Raven (who can get into her tail in, like, two minutes!) glide past me in her own tail. The illusion is flawless; the blended waist effect that Raven can achieve with her tails is wholly convincing, her tails’ flukes bend and flow realistically, and Raven herself is so fluid and graceful in the water that you would swear she’s a real mermaid.

A post shared by Rescue Sirens:Mermaids On Duty (@rescuesirens) on Dec 22, 2016 at 1:33pm PST

Chris and Tyler, watching us, discussed the interesting quirk about mermaid tails: when a Victoria’s Secret model wears angel wings, she can’t fly, but, when someone puts on a mermaid tail, they really can swim. The fiberglass Finis Competitor monofin built into my tail is rated for ocean swimming, and I can cross a pool in only a few dolphin kicks. I went from the dive well’s surface to the bottom at seventeen feet below in the blink of an eye. I felt strong, powerful, and beautiful -- just like I imagine the Rescue Sirens in my stories -- and I can never thank Raven and Tyler enough for that.

My Nim tail has already been on a number of adventures, from Orlando to two Hawaiian islands to Weeki Wachee Springs and back here to Los Angeles, but those tail-tales will have to wait for another day, because today I want to write about mermaiding at NC Mermania!

The main event of NC Mermania was our time at the Greensboro Aquatic Center, affectionately referred to as the GAC (that’s pronounced “gack”). Merfolk took over the facility’s dive well, which, just like Orlando’s YMCA Aquatic Center, is a whopping seventeen feet deep and twenty-five yards wide; vendors (like us) set up on either side of the giant body of water. Chris and I readied our table with books, buttons, and Diving Belle motel key tags, and then I “turned tail”… with the help of Chris (who is an incredible husband for many reasons; this is only one of them) and a whoooole lot of coconut oil.

Although the tail is a challenge to get into, the reward once I’m in is well worth it: I get to go swimming! It’s so refreshing, both physically and mentally. I feel like a little kid again, only I’ve leveled up the way I “play mermaids” in a manner that wee Jess never could have imagined. I've always been a water baby, and swimming in a realistic mermaid tail is a whole new way of interacting with the element I love so dearly.

I recently had rashguards screen-printed with the “Rescue Sirens” logo, and I wore those stretchy lifeguard tops as part of my Nim outfit for both days in the dive well at the GAC. I was so tickled every time someone recognized our property! I loved talking to people, answering their questions about the books and the world, and spreading the word about this series that means so much to me. Because NC Mermania attendees are passionate about many of the same things that I am -- the ocean, marine conservation, water safety, and mythology -- that made everyone easy to talk to, even for an introvert like me!

Besides talking about "Rescue Sirens," conversations involved admiring and discussing one another's tails (Merbella Studios' tails like mine, Finfolk Productions, Mertailor, Mernation, any number of commercially available fabric tails, and even handmade), swapping water-friendly hair and makeup tips, learning new tricks (I was taught how to blow bubble rings!), and simply having fun swimming together. There was an innocence to the event that I found really charming. When was the last time, as an adult, that you really just enjoyed splashing around in the water with friends the way you did as a kid? I didn't realize how much I'd missed that.

While I played in the dive well, Chris was a rockstar and, as usual, a phenomenal husband: he not only sold copies of "Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist" at our poolside table, but he also took lots of photos and videos to remember our time at NC Mermania. The only thing that Chris couldn't do was take photos from in the water (since he had to be able to return to our table at a moment's notice), but the wonderful Karsten Shein of Mountain Mermaid Photography had that covered, spending both days suited up in scuba gear at the bottom of the dive well with camera in hand.

Here are some of my favorite candids shot by Karsten (thank you so much!):

In addition to Karsten's underwater photos, I chose some of the best pictures and videos that Chris shot from the pool deck and compiled them into this short video, which follows me around a bit during our time at the GAC on Saturday. Huge thanks also go to Tom Cardwell for graciously sharing the underwater footage that he recorded of me swimming, and to Mermaid Aria for the photo of her, Mermaid Jolene, and yours truly. I'm so grateful for everyone's help!

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Next in this series: it's time to make legs and dry off for NC Mermania's social events and panels!

#rescue sirens #mermaids #nc mermania #chris sanders #jessica steele-sanders #merbella studios #conventions

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pugliepug · 8 years ago

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Hi Pootie Pals! My name’s Euge, and I’m the creator of Puglie Pug! Puglie began in June of 2014, and he was never truly my full-time job, just an all-time passion with the dream to one day be my full-time. I’m happy, surprised, and still in shock to announce that, in the beginning of 2017, I took the leap to become full-time Puglie creator.

I must always sincerely thank you all for all your support and love of the fatty, and for giving me the privilege to make you all smile, laugh, and look on in amused confusion at all of Puglie’s adventures.

So what’s there to look forward to now that I am full-time Puglie?

MORE ART! On top of the basic series of Puglie dressed as foods, there is an enormous to-do list I’ve made over the years of adventures I want go with Puglie, and I hope you’re all excited for what’s to come!

MORE PRODUCTS! Merchandise, digital downloads, and giveaways! Things that required either tons of time or tons of planning, I will now be able to commit fully in to preparing, updating, and researching so that you can adopt and journey with your own little version of the fatty!

MORE ADVENTURES! I look forward to collaborating with more brands, companies, and individuals to bring unique adventures for everyone to enjoy!

MORE CONVENTIONS! I can now plan my year better with time to create art and time to travel to conventions to meet more of you wonderful, amazing people!

MORE STREAMS! I truly plan to have a scheduled Twitch stream at least once a week so I can chat more with everyone, draw with you all, and let you experience what creating Puglie’s adventures is kind of like from start to finish!

IS THIS ALL POSSIBLE? Well, kind of. I am still just one person (who has surprisingly gotten sick 3 times in the span of 4 months…not a very amazing person by any means...), with only so much time in a day, and so much capacity I can take on, but I promise, with everything I can, I will give this my best! ALL THAT SOUNDS DANDY, BUT…DOES PUGLIE REALLY HAVE A GOAL Aside from building a fat, pooting empire of pugs? Yes! This may sound a bit grand for something so silly, but I hope to one day fulfill my own personal criteria for Puglie so that I can have things like charity streams, donations to those in need, and just… feel good things. I want to bring through the message of love is love, care for one another, have fun in life, and remember to laugh. Is that really possible with Puglie? I don’t know. But I’m on a huge adventure with Puglie to find out, and I’m honoured to have you join me in such a journey :] So if you had to ask what Puglie’s “big dreams” were in his slogan, that would be it. So far, if he’s able to brighten your day, make you giggle, or remind you that you’re some kind of amazing, that’s honestly one of the most beautiful achievements I could ever attain. THAT SOUNDS OUTLANDISH AND FLUFFY, CAN I JUST ENJOY THE PUGS? Yes, yes you can :] !

DO YOU HAVE PUGS OF YOUR OWN? No, I don’t actually! Puglie came from my goal of one day owning a pug! But due to a lack of time, money, space, and overall capacity for such a responsibility, I ended up making one instead!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD? AND HAVE YOU DRAWN THAT FOOD AS PUGLIE? My favourite food is gyoza! And the only reason I haven’t yet is because I’m still figuring out how to fit him in one haha!

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO DRAW PUGS? Before Puglie became a thing, I had a print that I sold at local conventions, which was a different style of a pug head, and the print said “Pug Life”. Of all the illustrations and designs I sold, nothing gave me more joy and fun than when people bought that print and happened to be pug owners themselves, and I was blessed with adorable pictures of their little fatties. It wasn’t until I was crippled by art block which led to a month long depression that I finally sat down and asked myself, “Euge, what do you want to draw,” and the first thought I had was, “fat stupid things, and food.” Recalling the fun I had with seeing fat pugs, and pugs are fat, silly looking creatures… I drew variations of pugs and eventually landed on what you now call Puglie. I then drew the fatty in a doughnut. And I laughed. And it was the first time my art truly made me happy. And from then on, he continued to make me happy :]

If you ever have any questions, comments, or musings, feel free to reach out to me via - Facebook • Twitter • Instagram Adopt your own little fatty via - The Puglie Shop • WeLoveFine • See More

#puglie #puglie pug #pugs #cute #plushie #meettheartist

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fyourself-literally · 6 years ago

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Hello, mi gente! I am back. I’m sorry I’ve been MIA but the semester was kicking my ass and I couldn’t risk falling behind because it was my last semester—not including the month-long summer semester which was probably the hardest semester ever—before I graduated. But I am free from university (not counting the online classes I’ll be taking to get certified as medical interpreter) and at the moment jobless so hopefully, I’ll be able to go back to posting regularly. Who am I kidding? I never posted regularly but I am going to try. Today I’m doing a very late Mid Year Freak Out Tag. I love this tag and I believed I’ve never done it before and I am so ready.

The original tag was created by Chami from Read Like Wildfire and Ely from Earl Grey Books. The links are to Chami’s channel since the original video is unavailable and Ely’s original video

I’m going to start by saying my goal was to read 29 books and I’ve surpassed by reading 52. This means it will be very hard to choose just one answer so most of them will have multiple answers.

Question #1: Best book you’ve read so far in 2019

Such a strong start to this tag. This is one of the questions that I just can’t choose one so I choose five. Fight me!

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis

I must say that as intrigued as I was by this book I was also nervous which why I opted for the audiobook because it was on Scribd. I was nervous because I hated The Female of the Species—an unpopular opinion, I know. But my God was this book addicting, I couldn’t stop listening to it. The story was amazing and so was the audiobook. I definitely recommend going the audiobook route. It made the book even better, it made it feel more real like this was an actual person telling you their story. It’s definitely one of my favorite audiobooks of the year. This is the story of a high school athlete who gets injured on a car accident and start taking pain medication for it. This is her story as she becomes addicted to them until, like the title says, she gets addicted to heroin. This was so heart hitting and I loved it. It’s weird saying I loved such a sad book but I did. I don’t know what that says about me but yeah.

I must say this book is extremely graphic so if you’re struggling with an addiction or are a recovered addict PLEASE stay away from this book.

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Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Mi gente, this book was also so addicting. I couldn’t stop reading it until it got to a point that I didn’t want to read it anymore and ignored it for like a week because I didn’t want it to end. It’s a problem, I know. What can I say about this book? If you’re a lover of science you will love it. If you’re not or like me you only have very basic knowledge of it, you might get confused at times. This didn’t stop me from loving it though. This sci-fi thriller is about a genius scientist who wakes up one day to find out that his wife was never his wife, that he didn’t have a son, and that it seems like the life he knows never existed. We follow him as he tries to figure out what happens and tries to go back to the life he knows and loves. I truly, truly, truly recommend.

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My Brother’s Husband Vol. 1 by Gengoroh Tagame, translated by Anne Ishii

This is the cutest most heartwarming book ever. Like all the books on this list, I completely adored it. This is a manga about a man whose brother came out as gay and then moved out to Canada where he married a man and lost touch with his twin brother. Then he dies and his husband travels to Japan to get to know his family and their culture. This book is about this man struggling to accept that his brother was gay and that he married a man. The cutest part of this story was not him but his daughter that accepts her uncle right away and creates a precious bond with him. She was so proud of him that it made my heart happy. As you probably know Japanese culture isn’t exactly the most accepting of queer people, so this is book gives a message of hope to those that feel oppressed. A message that one day things will change. I can’t wait to read vol. 2, it’s definitely on my TBR. Please read it.

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Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

This is a very polarizing book. I’m going to start by saying that. You either love it or hate. Well, I fell on the love it side. I’m not a fantasy lover but I fell head over heels for this book. I know some say they expected it to be darker and that they didn’t connect with the characters but it was dark enough for me and I did connect to the characters which is why I adored it and why I was destroyed by the end of the book. It took me a long time to get over it.

This is a fantasy world where two kingdoms are at war because one side, the very religious one that worships the gods, consider the other side heretics because of their use blood magic and the other side just wants magic and control of their enemies’ lands. In it, we have a girl who can speak to the gods, a prince that is very powerful and just wants to catch her and win the war, and someone who’s secretly a villain. I must say that I don’t recommend that you read the synopsis as it spoils it.

This book got very confusing at times. I thought it was me but after hearing other people talk about it, I realized it was the book. This made it hard to get into it a time but by the end of it, I was completely in love.

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Birthday by Meredith Russo

This is “a love story eighteen years in the making.” This is definitely the best way to describe to book. But to convince you I want to give you more details. This is an own voices story about a trans girl and her trying to come to terms with it while her best friend, that she’s into and who she has been her best friends since the moment they were born, struggles with his attraction towards her as he is straight but knows her as a boy. This book is told through their birthdays from the moment they turned thirteen to the moment they turned eighteen.

Mi gente, this was so heart-hitting. I just wanted Meredith Russo to give my girl Morgan a break but she wouldn’t. She would just hit her with one thing after the other with only sparks of happiness. But life as a trans person isn’t easy especially for those living in very conservative towns and I’m sure that she speaks from her experience.

I got to say that this, like her other book If I Was Your Girl, became one of my all-time favorite books. Actually, most of the books on this list did. This book is important. Please read it!

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You by Caroline Kepnes

This is a story about a man who meets this woman and becomes obsessed with her to the point that he starts stalking her. This book tells the story of everything he does to be able to get her to be with him. One of the thing that makes this book both interesting and creepy is that he narrates the story as if you were her. So, all the time he’s like you did this, you looked this way, I watched you, I followed you*, etc. The weirdest part is that the “love interest,” if you can call it that, is so unlikeable that you kind of root for him.

I am obsessed with this book, pun not intended, it was so crazy and honestly, scary. It made me realize how public my life is thanks to social media and how it just needs a little research to find out everything about me. If you need the motivation to make your life more private on social media and to be a little more careful about what you do in real life, I recommend this book. It definitely worked for me.

Theme song for this book: Sucker by Jonas Brothers. Yup, I just totally ruined the song for you. You welcomed.

*Fun fact I’ve heard the audiobook makes it even creepier.

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Question #2: Best sequel you’ve read so far.

Lady Killer Vol. 2 by Joëlle Jones

So, I’m not a fan of series, therefore, I rarely read sequels to the point that this year I’ve only read graphic novels sequels. From those, it’s hard to choose one ‘cause I can’t tell them apart. So, I think I’m going with Lady Killer Vol. 2 by Joëlle Jones. What can I say? I adore this series and it breaks my heart that there’s no news for a third volume. This series is about a homemaker in the 60s whose also a paid assassin. It is as good as it sounds but it ended on a cliffhanger which both makes me mad and tore me apart. I truly recommend this series. Plus, LOOK AT THE ART! Swoon.

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Question #3: New release you haven’t read yet but want to.

Choosing an answer to this is both hard and easy. I usually get to new releases way after they’re published but there are some that I want to get to before the end of the year and those are:

Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian

This story is about Reza an Iranian boy who’s gays in the 80s during the aids epidemic. This deals with him being terrified of someone finding out since the only things he’s seen in the media is about gay men dying from aids. Then we have Judy who’s an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle who’s a gay man living with aids. She never imagined romance until she falls for Reza and they start dating. Then we have Art who’s Judy’s best friend and the only out and proud gay teen at their school. As Reza and Art get closer, Reza is looking for a way to stop the deception without breaking Judy’s heart. Or at least that’s I believe it’s about. I skipped a lot of details so this post won’t be a thousand pages long.

I mean, doesn’t this sound amazing? Not only does it sound great but it also has a gay main character who’s also a person of color. AAAHH! I can’t wait to read it. If you’ve read it please let me know your thoughts.

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Kings, Queens, and In-Between by Tanya Boteju

This book is about Nima Kumara-Clark who’s in love with her straight best friend and trying to move on from her mother’s unexpected departure. She then discovers the world of drag and gets immersed in it.

Drag queens, kings, in between AND a lesbian main character? Sign me the F in! I’ve always wanted to venture into this world and may even try drag so I’m excited. The fact that one of my good friends used to do drag makes me even more excited. I want to see a little into his world. If’ you have read it let me know your thoughts.

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The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

This is the story of Rukhsana Aline who’s secretly gay and trying her hardest to live up to her conservative Muslim parents’ expectations. One day her parents catch her kissing her girlfriend. They then send her off to Bangladesh “where is thrown headfirst into a world of arranged marriages and tradition.” But only through reading her grandmother’s old diary she is able to gain perspective.

I know the reviews haven’t been the greatest but I’m still very excited. I feel like most queer books feature white main characters so I’m always on the search for queer books with intersectional main characters. But I’m not excited just because of that but because the premise has me intrigued. If you have read it let me know what you think.

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Don’t these just sound amazing? I just can’t wait to get to them.

Question #4: Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

I don’t know many new releases but these are ones that I can’t wait for.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

I am so hyped for this book. This is either a sequel or a spinoff of The Handmaid’s Tale, the synopsis has me a bit confused about which of these categories this fit. I must admit that The Handmaid’s Tale isn’t the most entertaining book ever but it was so interesting and I am just so ready to know more about this world.

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Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

This is the sequel of Skyward which is why I can’t give details of what it’s about. Just know that I liked Skyward enough to get me to continue with the series and that never happens. This is why I prefer standalone novels because usually even if I like the first book, I normally can’t commit to the rest of the series. But this series is the exception and I can’t wait to continue it.

Ps that cover has me dead. Definitely one of the prettiest cover I’ve seen this year.

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Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

This is about a lesbian necromancer in space. That’s all I have to know. Count me the hell in. But seriously this just sounds so amazing and different to what I normally read—if you don’t count Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh. And apparently, I’m really into stories about women necromancers (saying female excludes people from the trans spectrum that identifies as women) who likes other women. And I know I’m not the only excited. This seems to be on many people’s most anticipated releases TBR.

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Question #5: Biggest disappointment

Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal

Sadly this was the easiest answer. My biggest disappointment was Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal. I was so hyped. I mean, it’s a story written by a Puerto Rican author with Puerto Rican main characters set in Puerto Rico about el cuco. It’s a freaking horror-thriller!!! This was supposed to be good and Puerto Rican af but the representation was way off. The author was not born and raised in Puerto Rico, at least that’s what I think, and you could totally tell. It definitely felt like it was written by an outsider in the sense that the image it had of Puerto Rico and its people and culture is one from someone who isn’t from here—expect a post with more details—still, I can see why some people might like it.

*I’m not saying that you’re not a real Puerto Rican if you aren’t born and raise in Puerto Rico but it’s just the image we each have is usually not the same. Please don’t feel offended.

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Question #6: Favourite new author (debut or new to you)

This was so easy to answer. Ashley Herring Blake is officially an auto-buy author for me. I’ve read three of her books this year and I have adored every single one of them. I’m not a fan of middle grades but hers are so amazing. The fact that she writes queer books, even her middle grades, just makes me love her even more. If you haven’t read a book by her, you must.

Question #7: Biggest surprise

The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake

To answer this question we have to go back to Ashley Herring Blake. I was expecting to like The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James but I didn’t like it, I adored it. It is a book I will forever recommend. Even if you don’t like middle grades you need to give it a chance. This is about a girl who gets a heart transplant and decides she wants to truly live her life and she has a plan. On that plan there are two important things 1) make a new best friend. 2) kiss a boy 3) do awesome things. She then meets a Puerto Rican blue-haired girl (!!!!) and they instantly became best friends. But what happens when she realizes that she might also want to kiss a girl the same way she wants to kiss a boy. This book also deals with her mother coming back after giving her away and how she deals with it. Please, please, please read this book.

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Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

But that’s not the only surprise Wicked Saints, the book which I gushed about in question #1, was a total surprise. I was intrigued by the synopsis but what truly called me was the cover—call me shallow, I don’t care—but since it was a fantasy I wasn’t sure if I was going to truly love it but I did. I am so freaking glad I gave it a chance because I am obsessed. You can see me gushing about it on my highlight on Instagram.

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Question #8: Newest fictional crush

I never get fictional crushes so next question.

Question #9: Newest favorite character

This one is easy. My newest favorite character is the girl, whose name I can’t remember, from My Brother’s Husband. She was just so accepting and adorable that I couldn’t handle it. Oh, and also Quinn from The Might Heart of Sunny St. James and not just because she’s Puerto Rican. She’s just so smart, adorable, and a great friend.

Question #10: Book that made you cry

So I rarely cry with books but this year two books have made me cry and of course, they were Ashley Herring Blake’s books. To be more specific both of her middle grade. The first one was Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World which is about a girl who loses her house to a tornado and then loses her notebooks where she had drawn pictures of girls holding hands. Then someone starts putting her drawing on her lockers while asking her to please open up and talk to someone about it. The scene between her sister and her just destroyed me. I’ve realized that I get really emotional when I read those kinds of scene as I am very close with my older sister. The other is The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James which I have already explained what it’s about. Now this one affected me even more. I was crying nonstop during the last sixty pages and that NEVER happens. I just adore that book.

Add Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World on Goodreads

Add The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James on Goodreads

Question #11: Book that made you happy

I have a couple of books that fit this and those are:

My Brother’s Husband which I have already gushed enough for you to get the picture.

The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James which you’re probably tired of me talking about it.

Aurora Rising which is about the star student on a space pilot academy that after missing the choosing ceremony gets stuck with the misfits, the one no one wanted. But the reason he missed it was because he rescued a girl that has been in cryo sleep for two centuries and who might be a catalyst for a war millions of year in the making. This sci-fi book is so hilarious that it was constantly making me laugh out loud in public which probably made people think I’m crazy. In here we have a disabled character who might also be bisexual and that’s always a plus.

Question #12: Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

This goes for both Wicked Saints and Aurora Rising. I mean, look at those covers!

Question #13: What books do you need to read by the end of the year

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Pretty much every single book on my TBR. But to actually answer the question with a book I’m going with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I own both the book and the audiobook ever since the movie came out. I loved the movie and usually, the books are better than the movies so I don’t know why it’s taking me forever to get to it. This is historical fiction set in World War II about this girl that stars stealing books and how the family she’s staying in is hiding a Jew in their basement.

Add it on Goodreads

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If you’re still here, THANK YOU! So that’s my very late Mid Year Freak Out Tag. I hope you enjoyed it and that I have convinced you to give some of these books a chance. Thank you for reading and

HAPPY READINGS!

A VERY late Mid Year Freak Out Tag Hello, mi gente! I am back. I’m sorry I’ve been MIA but the semester was kicking my ass and I couldn’t risk falling behind because it was my last semester—not including the month-long summer semester which was probably the hardest semester ever—before I graduated.

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bensopinionsonvariousthingsblr · 6 years ago

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Top 5 favorite games

Alright so here is the second, part I’ve been spending a lot of time working on this whole thing so I hope you enjoy!

Number 5:The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Developer and Release year: Nintendo, 2004 Japan, 2005 NA What it can be played on: GBA/ Wii U Virtual Console

So I’m not gonna pretend like 4 of my top 5 picks aren’t Zelda games, that being said the Minish Cap is a game I played more recently, around last year, and at first after beating it I sort of just put it in my top 20, I loved it yeah, but I never really thought about it until now that, even though it was short, every thing about this game was solid and fun to me, the shrinking mechanic was challenging but very well done aesthetically, and the story was good, with the relationship between Link and Zelda, them being childhood friends and Link doing whatever it takes to have his friend back, and the villain Vaati was interesting in his relationship with the Minish (The inhabitants of the tiny world) and his final boss fight being very difficult for me, and the story wraps up nicely as usual, all in all it was a Zelda experience that I truly loved, and my favorite 2D Zelda game.

Favorite part(s): Definitely the Aesthetic and design of the tiny world, and all the charm around the entire game

Number 4:Sonic Adventure 2 Developer and Release year: Sega, 2001 What it can be played on: Dreamcast/Gamecube/PC/PS3/XB360

There it is, probably the most controversial pick on this entire list, unless maybe the next one is too i dont know, but I am a Sonic fan, which is something sort of rare these days, unless you like Mania which is pretty awesome but I’m more of a 3D guy, but this game is my favorite Sonic game because, even though the story is confusing I love it, it was dark and i legitimately felt like Dr.Robotnik was actually a major threat. There are 3 types of gameplay, the Classic Sonic/Shadow, The treasure hunting, and the robot/mech levels that make up the game, the best is the Classic gameplay of Sonic and Shadow, that usually isn’t up for debate, the other modes are pretty fun, but I love the game for the Sonic/Shadow levels, and the game to me really picks up on the Space Colony Ark in the Final Act. The *spoilers ahead* part where Shadow (who I forgot to mention is one of my favorite characters and not because I’m an edgy frick) turns to Sonic’s side and fights the Biolizard to buy them time, Shadow’s character arc was amazing in this game, and the final boss was really fun too, not to mention the soundtrack i mean, it’s a sonic game of course there’s a good soundtrack.

Favorite part(s): Shadow the Hedgehog, his levels, character arc, and general mystery surrounding the black and red anti-hero was amazing to me.

Number 3:The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Developer and Release year: Nintendo, 2011 What it can be played on: Wii/Wii U virtual console

I have defended this game in so many tweets and irl debates it’s incredible, Skyward Sword released to a 10/10 from IGN (that doesn’t matter to me much but it is an accolade) a 93 Metacritic score, which I do care about since it is an overall score and even got some Game of the Year awards in a year where Skyrim, Portal 2, Minecraft, Mario Galaxy 2, and many more were up for contention, but that proves nothing I just wanted to prove that I have argued about it enough that I know what I’m talking about. The main problem everyone has with this game is the motion controls, they say they are not accurate or don’t work, which can sometimes be true but, Scott Falco (he makes the “”with a side of salt series which he has some very good opinions on) says it the best, he said that he didn’t like it sitting down just waggling the wii remote, you’ve gotta stand up and play, then you fell immersed like YOU are the one doing it and not the wii remote, that is what i agree with and stand by anyway. Now past those criticisms I don’t think there are many more, some people don’t like the story, but to me this game has the BEST story in maybe any game I’ve ever played, the Link and Zelda relationship is better than any other game in my opinion and only Breath of the Wild comes close to that relationship in my opinion, now, the rest of the story is intriguing too, the origin of the master sword (I’m not going to comment on Fi, some people got too annoyed with her to focus on her amazing character arc in my opinion) the existence of Skyloft and the very first Link, Zelda, and Ganon in the form of Demise, all of it was done well and was very interesting to me. I liked the gameplay too, I think the new sprinting and stamina system was revolutionary to the series and made movement a lot more improved from previous entries in the franchise. The final act with the boss battle with Ghirahim and eventually Demise were very cinematic and awesome, and with Zelda’s life on the line during the whole thing it made it just that much more intense.

Favorite part(s): THE STORY, I can not say enough how much I love the story but also I loved the boss battles, Demise,Ghirahim,The Ancient Automaton, and all of them were fun to me.

Number 2:The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Developer and Release year: Nintendo, 2017 What it can be played on: Switch/Wii U

This game is a new staple in the Zelda series, the highest selling of all time, a new open world, a Game of the Year winner in almost all the awards shows, and even still people love to pick on this game a little bit, with all the weapon-breaking criticisms, and I know that can get annoying, but it does add a new layer of difficulty to an already difficult game, anyway Breath of the Wild was first known as Zelda for the Wii U, and it was revealed with a trailer at E3 2014 and was slated for release in 2015, of course it got pushed back and with Nintendo now finished with the switch they announced Breath of the Wild as a launch title, March 3rd, 2017 will always be one of my favorite days of all time, as I got my switch and had the first mainline Zelda game release as a fan of the series, and I did NOT stop playing it that night until about 1 AM (thats a rookie number now i mean c’mon I tweeted at 3 AM last night then went ahead and watched a movie) which was super late for me at the time though and I went to bed ecstatic about the game, I had gotten to a part where the story was starting to go forward and I couldn’t wait to finish it, about 6 or 7 days later I did and BOI let me tell ya I loved every second of that week, the gameplay is smooth and fun with combat being re-invented and then the Guardians were really fun because up until the end i didnt know about the shield thing so I would just bash them with all the brute force i had, the final boss fight was incredible (thats a common theme with my favorite Zelda games) and the Dark Beast Ganon fight was really atmospheric and entertaining as well and the ending with the re-uniting of Link and Zelda was so well done and just makes for a perfect ending.

Favorite Part(s): I loved the massive open world and all the secrets and new enemies and shrines to discover, it just made my time playing the game very enjoyable! Plus everything else like the story and the combat.

Number 1:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Developer and Release year: Nintendo 2002 JP/2003/ 2013 HD What it can be played on: Gamecube/Wii U

The Wind Waker. My unwavering favorite game for who knows how long now, the first Zelda game I ever finished and my introduction to great single player games as a whole really. The Wind Waker released in December in Japan and followed up the next year World Wide, the art style of the cell-shaded characters had never been seen before in a Zelda game and people were skeptical about whether or not it would go down well. Well it released and the people of December in Japan and of March World wide were very pleased with the game and loved it for its gameplay, story, vast ocean and many islands to explore with many hours of gameplay to be put in discovering everything the game had to offer, as for me i wouldnt get to play it for a while longer considering i was VERY young at the time of its release, so I would get to play it when it re-released for the Wii U in 2013, about ten years after the release of the original, I didnt get it though until Christmas of 2015 (or 2014 Im not honestly sure) but it wasnt even my gift, as I’ve said before it was my brother’s and i just watched him play it for a bit and tried it myself after being intrigued, and I dont know if I stopped very much over the course of the time I played it, I was challenged by the puzzles, and from the very opening at Outset Island I loved the art style and loved the characters in the story, with the new unique take on Zelda as Tetra, having Link sailing instead of walking, heck even having Hyrule not even the setting (for most of the game anyway) was new to the series and as my first 3D Zelda game I was captivated by all of it, everything about my favorite franchise now was fresh and new and thats something I’ll never get to experience again which is probably why I remember and still play the Wind Waker which such a fondness today, because of how new everything was to me and how much I enjoyed all of it, not to mention the final boss fight (here we go again) was and is still my favorite, with the world being submerged around you and you and Zelda enclosed with no way out other than through Ganondorf, the games story as always (I hate how repetitive I am) ended very well and to this day it remains one of my favorite stories ever told, and I don’t know if anything will be able to top this game just because of the time in my life in which I got to experience it and with how solid the game as a whole is.

Favorite Part(s): The Wide-open sea and the islands are all so cool and creative, plus the Final boss fight still stands as my favorite to this day.

Thanks a TON for reading through all of this, I had started work on it some time last year and got super busy doing other things during all this time but it really means a ton to me that people would actually care enough to read what I write, or even just skim it,

Thanks -Ben :)

#the wind waker #legend of zelda #zelda #breath of the wild #minish cap #Sonic Adventure 2 #skyward sword

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