#I love it when dragon age origins saves me some work by accidentally generating Good Story Beats

[herearedragons]

also: the most heartbreaking miscommunication currently happening between ZevKya right now as both of them are falling for each other’s facades

like. things have been looking promising for a while, with the two of them finding a surprising amount of common ground in how they were raised and how they view themselves, and generally enjoying each other’s company, but it was way too early for Zevran to be buying into that completely, so obviously he’s on guard. and then I guess between yelling about “no mercy”, refusing to answer the Guardian (which he, himself, does) and being willing (happy, even) to fight Sten to the death at the drop of a hat, I guess something about Kyana’s behavior set off an alarm and he went “okay, she really does just care about her status and power, she’s going to kill me eventually, let’s try flirting with her and seeing if it works”

unfortunately. at the exact same time Kyana has decided to try and let go of her past for good and maybe be a little more open to new things, and due to an absolute lack of Romantic Insight is 100% sure that Zevran really just likes her that much. and, unfortunately, by awkwardly attempting to reciprocate because hey, why not she’s just further reinforcing his impression that she’s using him

however, despite that disaster, the two of them are still on the exact same wavelength about everything else, which means that their interactions are constantly bouncing between guarded(Zevran)&awkward(Kyana) and “wait no you Get It. you really Get It”

[moved-to-void-kissed]

= my selfship AUs =

Although I don’t talk about them too much, I do have a number of different AUs for each of my selfships! This post gives a little overview of each of them in turn, sorted by the selfship that they concern, as well as some of the “overarching AUs” which are the ones where all of my romantic selfship are canon at once. ..Not all of them have very much to them, but hopefully that’s okay.

The actual list is under the readmore because otherwise this post would be about five miles long, but hopefully all this works well! If anyone has any questions or wants to ask me anything about any of these AUs, you’re always more than welcome to do that! ^-^

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overarching AUs:

mythical AU - a generic fantasy universe where all of my F/Os and their corresponding self-inserts exist as different mythical creatures, and all of my romantic selfships exist in tandem (apart from my one with Anti-Aqua - she only exists if Aqua doesn’t). The specific information regarding what sort of creature everyone is is written in the section for ecah individual selfship.

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void-kissed (Luna/Adriana) AUs:

void spirit AU - Luna is lost to the Void at the end of Episode 18, instead of escaping with Adriana. She is able to carry on existing in the world as a spirit, but only Anna is left able to properly perceive her, with Adriana needing to wear one of Reborn’s four seals in order to be able to see her.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Luna is a ghost tied to the Emerald Brooch while Adriana is a witch who is able to communicate with and summon her. She goes on a journey to try and save Luna from being destroyed when Elias and the rest of Team Meteor try to acquire all four of the seals.

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survivors of the dark (Aqua/Aria) AUs:

vampire AU - Aria is a powerful vampire (one of those classic “rich and alone and lives in a mansion and has dark powers”-types), whereas Aqua is a vampire hunter sent to destroy her. However, a rival vampire faction (i.e. Xehanort and his allies) attacks Aria’s mansion while she is hosting a ball, and Aqua ends up having to fight alongside her to both stay alive and rescue her fellow vampire hunters Terra and Ven, who had been turned and captured respectively by the rival vampires.

PAFL AU - the selfship is set in the world of Parties Are For Losers, a series created by the Vocaloid producer Ferry. Aqua and Terra live as siblings with Eraqus, who adopted them both; Terra wants to become a stalker of the Zone and Aqua is trying to stop him because it’s such a dangerous career path. Aria is a mutant who escapes the Zone facility when KT and Dima do, bringing fellow mutant Ventus with her, and the two of them end up running into the Wayfinders.

dual wayfinder AU - instead of going into the realm of darkness, Aria is transported into the future alongside Ventus, losing her memories of her true nature in the process. They both become Master Xehanort’s apprentices, and he tries to use Ven’s light and Aria’s darkness to forge the X-Blade, but it doesn’t work so he sends them off to Eraqus. Vanitas and Ves are then split from Ventus and Aria at Terra and Aqua’s Mark of Mastery exams, prompting a world-spanning chase to find answers.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Aqua is an angel whereas Aria is a vampire. I don’t have any story for it yet, though.

========== 

to our own Elysium (Pyra/Sapphire) AUs:

driver Sapphire AU - Sapphire takes Rex’s place as Pyra’s Driver - she is a wanderer from Gormott who was hired by Torna to open the door on the already-raised Ancient Ship (which in this AU needs a light-element Blade to open instead of a Leftherian, and Sapphire was already Avalon’s Driver which is why they needed someone like her). Rex appears as Vandham’s biological son from canon who didn’t die, but he doesn’t join the party.

DQIX AU - essentially the story of Dragon Quest IX but told using the XC2 characters. Mythra is a Celestrian and acts as the Guardian of the volcanic town of Upover, but falls down to the Protectorate in the form of a mortal armamentalist called Pyra when the Observatory is attacked. Pyra enlists the help of Sapphire and her father Vandham (who are residents of Upover) to travel across the world and regain her divine abilities. The Indoline Praetorium replace the Gittish Empire, except Torna are the Triumgorate who betray them, and Malos replaces Corvus.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Pyra is a dragon stuck in a mostly human form (unlike her siblings Mythra and Malos, who are also dragons except they can choose to take human form if they wish to), while Sapphire is a werecat who ends up stumbling across Pyra in the forest and tries to help her get her powers back.

==========

love, trust and diamond dust (Perun/Sapphire) AUs:

driver Sapphire AU - Perun resonates with Sapphire to become one of her Blades during the story, taking Pyra’s place as Sapphire’s main damage dealer during most of Chapter 7. She is also good friends with Avalon, who is alive in this AU.

DQIX AU - Perun is a paladin from Gleeba who ends up joining Sapphire, Vandham and Pyra on their quest across the Protectorate because she wants to help protect justice and figures that aiding a Celestrian is the best way to do that. Her weapon is a spear, and in battle she tends to intercept attacks meant for the others a lot.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Perun is a yet-to-be-determined creature who had initially set out to slay the Aegis dragons, whereas Sapphire is a werecat who tries to dissuade her from doing so because their presence is important for the world’s balance.

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dark hearts corrupted (Anti-Aqua/Aria) AUs:

fallen light AU - all normal content of my selfship with Anti-Aqua technically takes place within the context of this AU. It’s an alternate version of events in KH where Aqua ends up falling to darkness shortly after BBS as a result of her light fading and her anguish at being abandoned by the light. Anti-Aqua and Aria become rulers of the realm of darkness, wishing to get revenge on the light for abandoning them both (Aqua also wants revenge on Xehanort, whereas Aria seeks to reach the Final World).

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Anti-Aqua is a fallen angel and Aria is the vampire that corrupted her. I don’t have any story for it yet, though.

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a dance of endeavours (Camellia/Telanthera) AUs:

mythical AU - I haven’t put this selfship in the mythical AU yet, but I do intend to - I’m just having trouble thinking of mythical creatures that fit the characters.

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our own kind of heroes (N/Noire) AUs:

reversed heroes AU - the “reverse AU” for this selfship. N is a kind Unovan Pokémon Ranger with the inborn ability to communicate with Pokémon, whereas Noire is the cold sheltered princess of Team Plasma who hates humanity for mistreating Pokémon. She is chosen by Zekrom for her belief in her misguided ideals for separating people and Pokémon, whereas N is chosen by Reshiram for his ability to understand the truth of how Pokémon are and wish to be.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, N is a forest spirit and guardian of twin dragons Reshiram and Zekrom, who are sealed away within his forest. Noire is a fire elemental who was originally summoned by malevolent humans to help destroy the forest that N protects in order to reach and wake up the dragons, only to promptly decide “no thanks” and go off to do her own thing. which incidentally led to her learning to appreciate nature and helping N.

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a farmer and a thief (Skye/Emily) AUs:

Elsewhere University AU - Emily is a biology student studying at Elsewhere University (created by charminglyantiquated on Tumblr) who uses Mimi as a safe name, and Skye is a mischevious changeling known on campus as the Phantom Prince who ends up becoming infatuated with her quite by accident.

mythical AU - I haven’t put this selfship in the mythical AU yet, but I do intend to - I’m just having trouble thinking of mythical creatures that fit the characters.

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under a bloodcursed sun (Serana/Cansen) AUs:

Dawnguard AU - the “reverse AU” for this selfship. Serana is the daughter of Harkon, leader of the Dawnguard, a renowned group of vampire hunters. He seeks to use the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy to create a relentless eternal day and destroy all vampires, not realising how disruptive this would be to the natural order of the world. Camille is a scholar from the First Era who was sealed away with an Elder Scroll containing part of this prophecy, which stopped her aging, while Isran and the rest of the normal Dawnguard make up the Volkihar vampire clan. After Serana accidentally frees Camille from where she was sealed away, the two of them go on a quest to complete the prophecy, so that Harkon or Isran’s vampires don’t get to it first.

mythical AU - I haven’t put this selfship in the mythical AU yet, but I do intend to - I’m just having trouble thinking of mythical creatures that fit the characters.

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[dlamp-dictator]

Allen Rambles about Dusk Diver

I finished playing Dusk Diver, a small beat-em-up by JFI Games. I originally played it because it was on sale, I’ve had my eye on it for a few months now, and I needed a break from DMC5 for a bit. And boy do I have some thoughts about it now that I’m done with the game. Namely a bunch of nitpicks, but... we’ll get there in time. 

But as always, let’s start with that Synopsis.

Dusk Diver takes place in the Ximending district of Taipei, Taiwan. The story focuses on Yumo Yang, a Taiwanese high school senior that got caught up in a spiritual adventure over her summer vacation. While out with her friend she was randomly pulled into the alternate dimension of phantoms and demons. Before she was about to get killed by one a local loin god protects Yumo by (accidentally) transferring his powers to her. After she fends off the phantoms she decides to help clean her city of phantoms over summer break with the god’s help, along with the help of his eccentric and frugal boss... Boss. 

The plot takes off from there as Yumo pummels phantoms, gains allies, brightens up her town, and learns more about why the phantom and human realms are colliding. I gotta’ say, it’s nice to actually write the synopsis without having to either look at wiki article or outright copy it. This game is very simple for both good and ill. 

So... what do I think of this game? 

Well, unlike Assassins Pride I’ll be going over the bad first and then try to end on a high note, since for all my issues and nitpicks I did enjoy this game very much.

With that said, let’s start with...

The Bad

The Localization

So the localization is very similar to Under Night In-Birth Late[st] in that it feels very unfinished. When I talked about Under Night’s localization I was a little too harsh on it for my current liking and I’ll use Dusk Diver to explain myself a bit better.

Dusk Diver’s localization isn’t bad. I played this game listening to the Taiwanese dub and nothing sounded too off, but the script, the actual words on the screen, were rife with spelling and grammar errors, inconsistent terminology, and even moments where you could read the actual code of the game in the text. This the translation was either rushed, or it didn’t have enough time to really finish it, which makes it feel really sloppy. The said thing is that this game does have a rather charming script despite this, but reading all those errors and trying to correct them in your head can be... annoying.

The RPG Elements

So... this game is a beat-em-up that revolves around doing large combos and keeping up a hit counter to get higher drops of health, SP, TP, and other resources. The main goal of combat is to get combos going, collect SP and TP, and use those to do more damage to the enemies. 

So why is there an RPG level up system in this game?

I still have a lot of DMC5′s mechanics ingrained in me, so forgive me if this sounds pushy, but in most hack-and-slash/beat-em-up style games tacking on an RPG-style upgrade system only slows down the overall gameplay. 

Let me explain. Every time you complete a level for the first time you gain skill points. You use those points to improve your HP, SP, attack, etc.. This doesn’t feel good to do for this style of gameplay. In most beat-em-ups/hack-and-slash games skill points and similar currency are typically used for new moves or special abilities. DMC5′s red orbs are for new moves, Nero’s devil arms, and a limited amount of health and devil trigger increases. Senran Kagura uses its currency for costumes, accessories, and music, with the mere act of leveling up giving you higher bases automatically and more moves when you reach a certain level that proves you’re familiar enough with your current moveset to expand it. Solely making the numbers of damage and health go up doesn’t make you feel more powerful, it makes you feel like you can just handle the enemies that have gotten a lot more health and do a lot more damage for no reason other than slowing down the gameplay. I’ll save my recommendations for later, but the quick version is that the skill points should be used for more moves, more SP, and Drive duration only, as health and attack feel really arbitrary points to tack on for this style of gameplay.

The Platform/Alternate Gameplay Modes

Not often and namely during side missions for the Boss, but sometimes you have to do platforming segments and reach a certain point on the map and defeat some enemies.

They’re terrible.

Much like Devil May Cry, movement, jumping, and generally getting around feels fine save for me wishing Yumo’s run speed a bit faster. However, precise jumping and general platforming just don’t work. I don’t believe there’s a drop shadow in this game, the jumping itself has much different momentum when trying to maneuver in the air, making some moving platforms a pain to reach, and while the platforms themselves are rather large, the moving platforms go too slow compared to a lot of the fast-paced combat, making it a painstaking wait to get to the next fight.

Again, like DMC, this most platform this game should have is fighting on rooftops. In fact, I believe in the second or third mission you did have to traverse rooftops and it was actually pretty fun. Like I said, the platforms are usually wide enough that even with the wonky jumping it’s not a pain and getting to a higher point on the map and seeing the overall scenery is... nice. 

It’s just when you want me to pull off jumps like this is a Mario game is when things get dicey.

But those are all the big issues down, or at least my top three so...

Smaller Issues that Bug Allen

Like I said, I have more nitpicks than actual problems with this game. The game itself is a fine 10-15 hour experience, but there are several smaller issues that just pile up as you play it. It shouldn’t take you out of the game, but they did frustrate me a little. With that said though:

The minimap needs an ability to mark sidequests, it’ll make for a lot less backtracking and random pausing to look at the map and see where I need to go. I understand that this game is a more or less faithful for recreation of the Ximending district, but for non-locals playing this game like me finding locations is rather difficult. 

Since this game has visual novel styled cutscenes it’d be nice to have a log button to backtrack conversations just in case you skim over some important dialogue.

On that note, an option to control the speed of the text would be great as well, as I didn’t see one in there initially.

Cutscene Skip Button. It’s annoying to do the hard mode of these stages and having replay cutscenes I’ve already seen. Especially when I’m just hunting for Dragon Vein Shards.

Dragon Vein Shards should be tied solely to upgrades, as using them for plot advancement only adds to the grind... or so I would say if not for me have twice as many of the shards needed for progression every time. Again, I’ll go more in depth when I talk about my desires in a sequel, but for now I’ll just say these items should either be for leveling up or as a sort of collectible.

I’d like the rank system to be more like DMC, tying clear time, damage taken, max combo, and things like all together so that the end goal isn’t just to speedrun a stage for the S-rank.

Can the menu option be mapped to the triangle button like every other game? It kept throwing me off when I tried to pull up the map.

There doesn’t need to be a small cinematic when you do certain guardian attacks. It locks Yumo in place and has a real high chance to miss its target save for bosses.

It’d be best to map items to the buttons instead of the d-pad, as it kept tripping me up when I was trying to heal. 

I think that’s it for the major nitpicks, so let’s move onto the the good stuff.

The Good

Story and Theme

The story of Dusk Diver is simple, but effective. You go around saving the district by fighting monsters, you see how those monsters effect the district in each arc, and you solve the problem, usually getting an ally along the way. The few people that are aware of your secret job as a magical martial arts girl, usually the elderly or spiritually attuned, are very supportive toward Yumo. 

The game has an overall light, encouraging tone. It wants you to love the city as much as Yumo and Leo do, and it works. All of your side missions have you help out the locals in some way and you gain increased power for the super mode. You work at a convenience store, you partner with the local gods and guardians. Everything you do reinforces the idea of protect, preserving, and understand the town you live in. Yumo gets bonus dragon shard veins by frequently eating at local restaurants and becoming a regular. You help tourists out finding places to visit. You help an elderly man by taking photos of his old stomping grounds and he reminisces on what those old buildings were originally for. You help a coffee shop for free drinks. The list goes on, but a lot of the game reinforces this theme of community and loving the town do so much in. This is a very comfy game despite all the action of bashing demons and phantoms.

Characters

While simple, Yumo as a character is a very cheery girl that just wants to help others. She’s a bit annoyed at being forced to help at first, but she is someone that’s helpful at heart. And seeing her want to protect her friends and town is genuinely heartwarming. 

Plus, I really like her design. I’ve always been a fan of simple street clothes, and black with yellow highlights will always sell me on a character. 

Your guardians are pretty fun too. Leo’s knowledge of the city and desire to help others really gives him a cool grandpa vibe. Bahet’s a quiet and encouraging guy with a noble background despite his punk fashion. Le Viada is a model with a complex around her age and big sister mentality, the list goes on. Again, these characters are simple, but effective.

Gameplay

While I did have my nitpicks, the gameplay is solid beat-em-up action. Light and heavy attacks with the occasional use of the the guardians. And each guardian has a special ability with their damage. Leo can do massive damage to enemy shields, getting rid of them in one or two shots with his more powerful moves. Bahet can slowly chip away at an enemy with his scythe’s poison effect. Le Viada’s guns can outright ignore enemy armor and punch through it, as well as lay down traps, and... there’s a fourth guardian for when you beat the game. I won’t spoil it, but they’re basically a turret that stays in one place while you summor your other guardians, making her unique as you can’t usually summon two guardians at a time. And like I said before, aiming and lining up certain attacks can be a bit unwieldy since some moves playcinematics that lock you in place, but it’s overall fun. Racking up combos, using big AoE moves, it all feels great.

And with all of that out of the way.

Wishes for the Future

Much like in my Fire Emblem rambling I don’t like the idea of correcting a story or game that’s already been finished, but I find no issue with discussing what I want for the future. And I really thing this game can have a sequel. The game states that Yumo isn’t the first person in recent time with latent spiritual powers, or that this is the first time that the phantom and human realms became loose. And hell, Yumo is still someone that wants to protect her town, so it’d be easy to make a game in another area of Taipei that’s gone out of whack, or even give the reins to someone else. And I do want a sequel. 

Like I said, my main issue with this game are some nitpicks that could honestly be fixed with a patch or a two-month delay. If this game sold well enough to get a sequel I’d buy it. 

That said, here are a few things I’d like to see in that hypothetical sequel. Such as...

Rankings

A lot of these are going to be taking a page from DMC since I was taking a break from DMC5 to play this, but the ranks shouldn’t be tied solely to clear time. That just makes people speedrun the stage and miss Dragon Veins. Having rank linked to time, combos, hits taken, and so on would give you some breathing room when you try and explore a stage, as you wouldn’t be punished for being curious. You’d still need to be quick, but you won’t be completely screwed either.

Leveling Up

Leveling up give you skill points that you can stick into your health, SP, attack, super mode duration, just dodge duration, luck, and moves. This game shouldn’t give attack or health for skill points. This is just my belief with design, but beat-em-ups shouldn’t just jack up the health of normal enemies as you get stronger, instead just giving us tougher enemies with different patterns of attack. The game already does this with some success, so those slots that increase health and attack seem pointless. You get skill points when you complete a stage for the first time, or find dragon vein shards. This... really puts a lot of pressure on the kinds of skills you upgrade, and while I’m not against that it does make this very light-hearted oddly restricting as you debate what to upgrade. I’d recommend using those dragon vein shards solely to level up instead of for story progression as well. With each upgrade costing more and more dragon veins as you increase your stats. In this first game you can collect over 150 dragon veins. You only need 50 to complete the story mode, and I had about 75 by the time I reached the final mission. 

I know some people struggled to grab them, but... I didn’t, so... maybe have the veins do something else than gate story progression.

Post Game Activities

If we are going to have a post game to finish up some side quests for 100%, then we might as well have some extra things to do too. 

Oh right, I never mentioned that yet.

Yeah, once you beat the game you’re essentially in a free-run mode to finish some leftover side quests and do a few extra things you might have missed, but... I finished all the side quests before the final story, so I was left with just finishing some hard-mode missions and finishing up my upgrade tree. That said, if there is going to be a post game here’s a few ideas:

Survival Mode where you fight waves of enemies. Some akin to a Bloody Palace Mode where you can compete for a high score among friends and online.

Post Game dungeons that are hard as hell, this could be DLC if you wanted as I wouldn’t mind paying for more content like this.

Extra moves/skills. Yumo’s moveset is rather small compared to DMC and Senran Kagura. If we’re going to have just one character to play as then I’d rather have a complex character that takes awhile to learn than an easy one where I’m spamming the same moves over and over... or give us more characters to play as with equally simple movesets.

That’s really it. The game overall is fun with it’s only real flaw being a rather short game for 35 bucks. Like I said, either some DLC or a sequel would make me feel better about recommend this one, but if you want a fun, short beat-em-up game then this is out on steam, PS4, and the Switch. Feel free to get... though I’d recommend waiting for a sale.

In any case, back to DMC5 for me.

[douxreviews]

Legends of Tomorrow - ‘Egg MacGuffin’ Review

"I’m sorry that our first date got ruined by Nazis."

The Legends of Tomorrow episode title game is really on point this year.

Forgive me in advance if this is overexplaining, but I'm not entirely sure how well known the terms are and it's going to become relevant in a minute. If you already know the terminology better than I do, and I'm sure many of you do, I beg your indulgence.

A 'MacGuffin' is the term for a plot device that exists solely to provide motivation to the characters in a story. The example that's most often cited at this point is the titular Maltese falcon statue in The Maltese Falcon. This is a subtly different thing than 'phlebotinum,' which we discussed a few episodes back. Generally speaking, phlebotinum is a made up thing that facilitates the character's journey, for example, polyjuice potion. A MacGuffin is a made up thing that motivates the character to make the journey, for example the sorcerer's stone. Or philosopher's stone if you live in a country where the publisher wasn't afraid of accidentally teaching children the word 'philosopher.'

The real takeaway is that Legends of Tomorrow has now given me an excuse to explain both of those terms, and regularly allows me pretentiously discuss semiotics, and is therefore the best thing ever broadcast. But I digress.

The genius of this week's episode title is that the golden egg that Nate and Zari are looking for at the Adventurers Club is unequivocally a MacGuffin with no significance of its own beyond that (at least this week).  In fact, part of the plot of that storyline explicitly involves Nate and Zari questioning exactly that point, and they come to the conclusion that it is a MacGuffin that Sara planted just to give them an exciting first date. Which is clever because it isn't a MacGuffin within the story we're watching, but it absolutely is a MacGuffin from the outside perspective, and you know it might actually be possible to be too clever about these things. Whatever your personal tolerance for post-modern narrative gameplaying, I really enjoyed it.

Now, in the past I've complained a bit here and there about the fact that the Legends' reduced number of episodes in a season often makes them condense what could be two or three episodes worth of plot into one. I'm not sure if I've just gotten used to it or if they're getting better at it, but I've really begun to enjoy the fast, breezy clip at which these episodes move. Nate and Zari are really just doing an extended Raiders of the Lost Ark homage, and a nice zippy pace is essential for that kind of romantic adventure fiction. The Ark of the Covenant itself, while we're speaking, is another classic example of a MacGuffin. I'm certain that was not coincidental.

In any case, I think I'm pretty well sold on the Zari and Nate romance, and I think it's down to one particular moment in this episode. When they realize that Sara has set them up on a romantic mission, Zari offers to call it a night and return to the ship, and Nate says, 'Or we could see where this mission takes us.' What he's clearly really saying is, 'Hey, I'm open to exploring whatever this is going on between us if you are, but there's no pressure.' I don't seem to go a week without mentioning how refreshingly adult the characters on this show are.

In fact, part of why the aforementioned fast and breezy pace felt so appropriate this week all around is because the show has romance stories on its mind. We have Sara and Ava, thankfully post-argument, making an effort for one another in the little ways. We have Mick and Charlie at Romanticon, attempting to cash in on Mick's authorial alter ego, Rebecca Silver, without actually having to reveal himself to his fans. Which is so completely on brand for both of them that I loved every second of it. God bless Mick, both for actually caring about his fans and for being willing to admit the fact when pressed.

Then finally we have my current relationship on the show, Ray and Nate. I realize I went on a bit about this last week, but I just can't say enough about how great their friendship is. Thank you, whoever on the writing team made the decision that Ray would give up his soul to Neron in order to save Nate's life, as opposed to Nora's. Neron said he would make Ray kill someone he loved in order to break him, and the show went with Nate as that person. Is it possible to platonically 'ship a couple? Because I am totally team Palmwood.

That was an unfortunate first attempt at a couple name. Please leave alternate suggestions in the comments.

Which leads me to the painful part. There were a number of little clues as to what was coming for Gary, but I really only noticed them in hindsight. When Sara is discussing who the murderer could be in book club, she mentions that it must be the dogwalker because of his pent up frustration and being treated like a doormat. The shot transitions from her to the next scene halfway through the line, which means we're hearing her but looking at Gary. The subplot about Vincent the Adventurer's assistant is basically a mirror of Gary's position. And Gary is clearly crying in the bathroom – a thing that he had just told us he often did – when Ray calls him and he drops everything to go help.

Gary Green, on paper, should not work as a character. He should come across as a caricatured doofus, occasionally good for a comic relief moment. But Adam Tsekhman invests him with something undefinable and real, and he just fundamentally works as a tragic figure despite all the reasons that he shouldn't.

Also, whoever planned out that Gary's nipple returning from Hell would be the final temptation that makes him give in to Neron is a mad genius and should be our leader now.

Everybody remember where we parked:

The Waverider did some proper time travel for the first time in what feels like ages and took most of the team to the Adventurers Club, 1933, in order to retrieve that golden egg. Mick and Charlie, meanwhile, take the jump ship to Romanticon, 2019. Gary uses his time courier to flit between 2019 and the Waverider, and Neron and minion-Gary appear to lift Damien Darhk's old time travel stone from Constantine and use it to leave for destinations unknown.

Remember when time travel seemed like an exclusive and exotic thing?

Quotes:

Sara: "Honestly, with Neron gone, catching fugitives has never been easier. I thought it was gonna take all week."

Zari: "It was that awkward, huh?" Sara: "Even the mummy thought it was awkward."

Nate: "Excuse me, my good man, could you point me to the nearest facilities? I have an urgent need to… uh... relieve my bowel."

Nate: "Wait. Trip wires. This is going to require one of us to squeeze through these trip wires, maneuvering our bodies in unexpected ways." Zari: "Are you asking me to do that?" Nate: "No, I’m asking you to hold my coat."

Ava: "Honestly, I usually just drink rose and let Mona go on and on."

Gary: "I may not be a master of the dark arts, but I am an intern of the dark arts."

Ava: "Were you guys about to hook up?" Zari: "No. no, no, no, no." Nate: "It was definitely on the table."

Bits and Pieces:

-- This show just doesn't do misunderstandings for dramatic effect. Nora immediately told John that Ray was possessed as soon as she woke up. Neron repeatedly goes out of his way to clarify that he's the one doing evil things, not Ray, even when it would really be in Neron's best interest to let the Legends think otherwise, thus driving them apart. That might be the thing I appreciate most about the writing.

-- It seemed odd at first that Mona didn't already know about Mick being Rebecca Silver, but on reflection it makes sense.

-- Loved the Garima cosplay at Romanticon.

-- How many books has Mick had time to write by this point? I mean, I suppose time travel would help with that, but I lost track of how many different titles they mentioned. I particularly liked Raw Hides.

-- Mick's final speech to the con about how all anybody really wants is to feel a connection was a lovely piece of writing, well performed. And a hell of a good underscoring to what was happening to Gary at that moment.

-- I get why they didn't do it, but it would have been smarter for Charlie to have shape shifted into a neutral third party to portray Rebecca. That said, I adored the Rita Skeeter vibe she had going on with her outfit.

-- Outside of the Rita Skeeter vibe, we also had phoenix feathers and a dragon egg. I'm sure there were a few other Harry Potter nods that I missed beside those. Anyone?

-- And speaking of the egg, it's a neat bit of long term plotting that what was just a MacGuffin this week is clearly set up at the end to be relevant to a different plotline later.

-- It's entirely in character for John Constantine to be rude and speak to Gary like that in a moment of stress, but the whole sequence of events felt sadder to me when I thought about the considerate way that he sheltered Gary's feelings last week.

-- I've noticed that they've gotten into the habit lately of consistently leaving someone on the Waverider to 'Quarterback' the mission. That's not only hugely useful for splitting up the characters and facilitating different schedules, it's also a really sound battle tactic.

-- Note added after the writing of this review.  Apparently 'Egg MacGuffin' is the official name of this sort of thing as cited on tvtropes, and not an original pun coined by the writers here.  Ah, well.  Still a clever title for how it was used here.

I loved this episode from beginning to end.  How can we only have three more left?

Three and a half out of four, and the only reason it's not higher is I suspect I'm going to need a higher number to go to in the next few episodes.

Feel free to mention your favorite MacGuffin in the comments.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

[antibioware]

do you have other things planned for the KH DA au?

Yeah, me and @ofseasworth ​ actually discussed a lot of things through and (with some help and insults from @himbocloud ​) we have a good deal of the AU figured out!

tw for: excessively long explanation post, a brief mention of slavery existing within the DA universe

The general plot is based on the initial premise of Dragon Age Inquisition, but takes a turn towards a more Dragon Age: Origins-like plot structure. In other words: you have Sora, a Rivaini warrior, Riku, a Tevinter runaway mage, and Kairi, an Orlesian rogue, who all happen to find themselves at the Conclave for their own reasons, and who also happen to be literally the only survivors of the explosion that wipes away the Conclave, together with the Divine. Sora wakes up with a painful mark on his hand, the sky torn apart and also finds that Kairi managed to break the three of them out of prison, because they’re wanted by the Chantry for supposedly killing the Divine. After that, they set on a quest together to find allies willing to help them close the Breach in the sky and find the actual responsible for the Divine’s death, all while escaping from the Chantry who wants them and the various pursuers who want to find/kill them for their own reasons.

In this vision of the AU, the foretellers and the MoM are the magisters that first entered the Golden City and corrupted it, and Xehanort is a Tevinter magister who found the foreteller’s notes and research and was curious about understanding magic that was lost to time and as his research grew desperate and dark, he grew in power and transformed beyond recognition, turning into a Corypheus like creature. So yeah, he’s an all powerful sentient Darkspawn who is also a magister and the entire point of the quest Sora, Riku and Kairi set on is to find him and put an end to all his evil plans and possibly kill him.

As I mentioned, the Destiny trio are being pursued by other people aside from demons, darkspawn, the Chantry itself. For this reason, when they first meet they all lie to each other about who they really are: Sora says he’s just a regular adventurer who occasionally works as a merc, Kairi says she’s just a regular thief, and Riku says he’s just a regular mage whose magister is against Xehanort and looking for potential allies. Obviously, this comes back to bite them in the ass and after that they all have to reveal their actual background to each other.

Sora is the son of a fisherman from Rivain, he turned to piracy out of genuine love for adventure and the sea. He was pretty tame for a pirate, thought known as a formidable warrior, but once during a job he discovered one of his fellow pirates tried to trick him into selling slaves and not only did he free them all as soon as possible, but he also crashed his ship in attempt to escape from the other very pissed pirates who had assigned him the job (so he has like, Isabela’s background without the bad parts and the sexualization). He was hired as a mercenary right after to cover his tracks from his pursuers, and happened to be at the Conclave by a really unlucky turn of events.

Riku is a mage from a poor family, he was taken under a Magister’s guidance who saw his potential for learning to master Blood magic. The Magister was cruel in her training, and often tried to use Riku to do her dirty job for him. After a couple years of training finally Riku realized how bad his teacher and her ways were, as well as her association with Xehanort. During a training day in which she was trying to convince him to finally use a blood sacrifice for a ritual, Riku ended up killing her and her guards and break himself and the “sacrifice” out of her castle. So Riku is wanted for dead in Tevinter, and he run to the Conclave in search of support against the growing problem in Tevinter with Xehanort. He’s literally wanted everywhere he goes for being very visibly a maleficarum, and also Ansem Seeker of Darkness in this AU is the Envy demon who keeps lending him powers, but who is also waiting for the day Riku will inevitably fall to his thrall to possess him and make him an abomination.

Kairi is a thief, among other things, but she’s first and foremost the princess and crown heir of some king (Ansem the Wise) who ran away from home since she hated both the concept of politics and regency and the rich. She’s trained as a bard and a spy, and uses that training to follow her own agenda, so in terms of comparison with actual DA characters, she’s a mix of Sera and Leliana. She also actually hates Orlais. She was at the Conclave as an actual spy to see how to turn the results against the Empress. She’s being chased around by Dilan and Aeleus, the regal bodyguards assigned to her since she was a kid, who just want her to bring her safely back home so she can become a queen.

Now, for some details a little on the specific side, AKA Which Characters Are What:

Roxas and Xion were twin mages who grew up in the tower. We are still deciding some details on how it came to happen, but they rebelled to the templars in their tower and their rebellion was suffocated in blood. As they were laying close to the embrace of death, two Fade spirits came to their help (Courage in Roxas’ case, Valor in Xion’s case) and much like Wynne’s case, they were granted a new life because of them. Since then, they have been forced into hiding from Templars. They were taken in by apostate Lea, and together with him and the rest of the Twilight Town gang, they’re all Red Jennies.

Lea is an apostate and an ex-assassin. He managed to run away from the Circle tower after his best friend Isa was made Tranquil, and he ended up taking in Roxas and Xion and helping them hide from Templars. Tranquil Isa was sent after him to retrieve him after he escaped from the tower, and after much fighting and many sad scenes (imagine Karl Thekla with Anders here) Lea finds out that the Fade spirits in Roxas and Xion can make him break out of the tranquility state, and from there they find a way through those to reconnect Isa to the Fade and bring him back from Tranquility. post-tranquility Isa is a Jenny as well, thought there is too bad blood with Xion and Roxas for him to be a “friend” of Red Jenny. He’s like an acquaintance of Red Jenny.

All of the Jennies become allies to the quest at some point, for various reasons. The main includes Kairi just being a wild and really powerful anti-rich supporter, and she also becomes a Red Jenny later on.

Naminè is Cole a Fade spirit of Compassion who was drawn to the living world by the sufference caused by the war. Her modality of helping suffering souls is to make them forget their grievances, but accidentally this causes those who were helped to eventually forget about everything, including Naminè as well too. Afraid of the suffering being unable to help was causing her, Naminè retired in an abandoned Templar stronghold, until Sora and co. found her, helped her regain control of her powers and took her along them in their quest.

The Wayfinder trio are all Grey Wardens. Aqua is a dalish arcane warrior mage, and the next Warden Commander after her master Eraqus sacrificed himself to end the previous Blight. Terra is her second in command, AKA Alistair a once Templar in training who was taken as a Warden from Master Eraqus and grew as his son. Ventus is a poor fuck who run away from Tevinter , while his twin ended up staying there, and he was recruited into the Wardens by Terra. 

The Wardens take the Destiny trio under their wing and they become their main ally in their quest to end Xehanort.

Vanitas was the very mistreated and experimented on disciple of Magister Xehanort, who also ended up running away from him after getting his ass kicked by Sora and co., catching the Blight in the meanwhile and was then found and forced by Ventus to join the Wardens to save his life.

Xemnas is the Black Divine who gets at some point rightfully killed by Sora and co. for helping and supporting Xehanort. Thus the Destiny trio caused the death of two whole Divines.

We are still deciding on some side characters but Ansem the Wise was a king who died to Xehanort and the reason why people want Kairi back to her home so bad. Larxene is Calpernia for the aesthetic. Marluxia is the court mage for the Orlesian Empress just For The Aesthetic. Demyx is this shitty assassin bard who was sent after the Destiny Trio at some point but didnt even tried to fight them, just asked them to kick his ass so he could not he killed by his boss

[so-shiny-so-chrome]

Witness: Jaetion

Creator name (AO3): Jaetion

Creator name (Tumblr): Jaesauce

Link to creator works: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaetion/works

Creator name (other platform- please specify): Pillowfort: Jaetrix

Q: Why the Mad Max Fandom?

A: MMFR movie was incredible! It hit all of my sweet spots.  And the fandom is great: really supportive people, creative fanworks, and great discussions. I've been playing around with fandoms online for a long time and I've met some awesome people, but the MMFR fandom is just chocked full of interesting fans and ideas (like this spotlight!). 

Q: What do you think are some defining aspects of your work? Do you have a style? Recurrent themes?

A: Oof, I'm not sure. I think my style is a lot of conversation, and very little and very poorly written action? As far as themes go, I love referencing music. Music is important to me, so it usually influences my writing. I identify as a feminist and try to put progressive messages into my stuff. I try to write women who form relationships, live their lives, and drive the plot without having to play second banana to men. On a similar, I like writing/reading sex scenes that are fun and funny for the people involved - enthusiastic yes from both/all parties. (Unless I'm filling a fic request that specifies something else, of course.)

Q: Which of your works was the most fun to create? The most difficult? Which is your most popular? Most successful? Your favourite overall?

A: “Take the A Train" was fun because I love writing about NYC. But the stories in "Citadel City Serenade" have definitely been the most rewarding. I really like trying to fit plots and characters together, and it feels awesome when things snap into place. "Six-String Soldier" is my most popular fic, probably because I started writing it right around the release of the movie and it's shippy. Overall... hm, I think my favorite MMFR thing I've written might be "Metal Bars." I think I did a pretty decent mix of kid naivety and shitty oppression. 

Q: How do you like your wasteland? Gritty? Hopeful? Campy? Soft? Why?

A: Hopeful, but realistic, I think. With everything that's going on in politics, both in America and internationally, and the unbearably awful reports on climate change, I need to cling to some remnants of hope or else I'll just lie on the floor and never get up. I love solarpunk! Reclaiming/recreating the world is what interests me.

Q: Walk us through your creative process from idea to finished product. What's your prefered environment for creating? How do you get through rough patches?

A: I write drafts, either as notes on paper or outlines in Google docs. I have a bunch of notebooks full of fragments. I do a lot of editing - I have a hard time articulating things, so it takes a number of attempts until I get it right (or at least close to right). When I get stuck, I read fic. There are so many talented authors who've produced so many amazing stories that it's pretty easy to find something inspiring.

Q: What (if any) music do you listen to for help getting those creative juices flowing?

A: Folk music! I have a couple of playlists on Spotify specifically for writing Mad Max fic.

Q: What is your biggest challenge as a creator?

A: Writing! Specifically writing something good! I'm not sure if this counts as a challenge, but I also struggle with self doubt; posting something that gets no attention really sucks and it's hard not to take poor reviews/no reviews as a personal affront.

Q: How have you grown as a creator through your participation in the Mad Max Fandom? How has your work changed? Have you learned anything about yourself?

A: I've never attempted to write something as long as "Six-String Soldier," or the whole series of "Citadel City Serenade," really. Trying to manage a couple of different timelines at once with different POVs has been complicated and fun. Because of this fandom, I've also been writing more articles for the Fanlore wiki and tracking down references/resources for preservation. I'm an archivist and being able to use some of my professional skills in fandom and even develop them has been sort of neat.

Q: Which character do you relate to the most, and how does that affect your approach to that character? Is someone else your favourite to portray? How has your understanding of these characters grown through portraying them?

A: I probably relate most to Max: tired, wants to be alone, many grunts. But I prefer to write the Wives. They're so fascinating, each in their own way. I love how distinct they are and yet how well they work as a team. The first few times I saw the movie, I focused on Furiosa as the feminist hero that we all needed, but the more I watched and the more I read, the more I realized just how courageous, intelligent, and yes, feminist the Wives are. Victory doesn't require fighting and heroes don't need to be killers. The Wives achieve so much over the span of the story without physically fighting.

Q: How do you translate various elements from the film, such as the theme of the importance of bodily autonomy and critiques of an oppressive ruling class, into a modern setting?

A: This is an amazing question, thank you for asking! MMFR portrays a reality that is uncannily close to our own - In fact, it might as well be a peek into our future. In my mind, there's not even much of a need to translate those elements/themes because oh god we're dealing with them right now. What I was trying to translate with "Citadel City Serenade" is the victory of the characters over those adversities. In MMFR, the characters participate in violent, bloody battle; in CCS, they start social movements. Which is something we can do in the real world! Marches, protests, grassroots activism in general are tools we can use - Music, art, hell even gardening can be parts of a revolution.

Q: Do you ever self-insert, even accidentally?

A: Nope! I'm far too pathetic to survive in the wasteland. Hopefully I'll just die in the initial blast.

Q: Do you have any favourite relationships to portray? What interests you about them?

A: Yes! I'm a shipper at heart, so I am all about the couples. My two favorites are Capable/Nux and Toast/Slit. I love having the women be the ones leading the relationships - not only setting the boundaries but also expanding the War Boys world into completely new territory. I'm also totally into male characters who are sexually inexperienced. Alpha male dudes are meh in my opinion - Give me someone sweet and enthusiastic, someone whose love is based on respect, someone whose enthusiastic about learning. I think Nux is firmly in the category of awesome boyfriend, and I like trying to figure out how to lead Slit in that direction. There's also the idea of redemption in their relationships that I find fascinating.

Q: How does your work for the fandom change how you look at the source material?

A: Hm, I think that I definitely view the film through a feminist gaze. It's entirely possible that MMFR is just an action film but that's not my take on it!

Q: Do you prefer to create in one defined chronology or do your works stand alone? 

A: Why or why not?Bit of both! I just want to read, read, read - As long as the fics are well written, it doesn't matter to me if the settings are consistent. As far as my own writing goes, I get so many ideas for fics that it's not really possible to have them all exist in a single chronology.

Q: To break or not to break canon? Why?

A: The great thing about fanfiction is that it's transformative. To me, canon is the foundation, but you can build whatever you want on it. Hopefully I keep the characters close to their canon portrayals, but other than that, I like to mix things up. Also, a modern AU setting just fits so damn well in the Mad Max world. I think also that canon itself can be flexible. Death of the author and all that. Once media is out in the world, it'll be interpreted by the audience - and sometimes those interpretations are vastly different from one another. 

Q: Share some headcanons.

A: I don't really have any! Since most of my stuff is AU, the headcanons are limited to those settings.

Q If you work with OCs walk us through your process for creating them. Who are some of your favourites?

A: I have a smatterings of OCs who populate the world as background characters: Vuvalini, milking mothers, and War Boys. I played a MMFR tabletop RPG a couple of years ago, and my character from that and an NPC she saved both ended up in 6-String. That particular War Boy (Stacks) now has a couple of fans and so I've been giving him more screentime, as it were. He's sort of interesting as a foil to Nux and Slit: those two have girlfriends to learn from, but Stacks is on his own as he tries to escape from the WB life.

Q: If you create original works, how do those compare to your fan works?

A: I do! I participate in NaNo every year. I think my fanfiction is better than my original stuff since I write, since the fanfic is intended to be shared and thus I have to write decently enough to get readers. However my stuff tends to be in the speculative fiction genre, so that's something my fanfic and original fic share.

Q: What are some works by other creators inside and outside of the fandom that have influenced your work?

A: There are so many! In Mad Max, @supergirrll, @redcandle17, pbp (@primarybufferpanel),  @bonehandledknife, Tyellas (@thebyrchentwigges), and hell all of the Boltcutters are all really important; the early writers of Nux/Capable fics also really influenced and inspired my love of the characters and the ships. Spicyshimmy, an author in the Dragon Age fandom, has also been one of my favorite authors for years, and I return to her stuff regularly to see how awesome writing can be. 

Q: What advice can you give someone who is struggling to make their own works more interesting, compelling, cohesive, etc.? 

A: I struggle with this myself, so I don't think I really have an answer unfortunately other than read everything you can get your hands on, write everything you can think of. I write basically what I want to read; if I can make the reader!me happy, then at least I've satisfied one person. However, what I consider interesting, compelling, etc, isn't always what other people want. Maybe my advice is to try not to take it personally when your hard work isn't rewarded. Which again, I'm not always able to do. 

Q: Have you visited or do you plan to visit Australia, Wasteland Weekend, or other Mad Max place?

A: Yes, Wasteland Weekend! It was a lot of fun and I'm hoping to go again. Being able to immerse myself in the world was a great experience - A totally new way for me to engage with fandom.

Q: Tell us about a current WIP or planned project.

A: Still chugging along with "Citadel City Serenade!" The two main stories in that series are going to intersect in a meaningful way soon. In fact, they're going to crash. Looking forward to getting that out there (and getting it done!).

Thank you @jaesauce

[my-fic-recs-for-ppl-in-need]

Stucky

07.02.2020

Here’s my first ever fic-rec that I’ve made. I hope you like them!

This consists 20 of my favourite Stucky fics! I’ve put warnings in if the fic has something like sad engings or if there’s some major character deaths to make your reading experience as enjoyable as possible!

Also feel free to send me some of your favourite ones because I am always looking for new fics to read. Anyways, enjoy your reading and here’s the list!

Chase This Light by leveragehunters on Ao3

58,5 K

Raiting: Teen And Up Audiences

No Warnings

In the modern world, where the creatures of myth live side-by-secret-side with mundane humanity, Steve Rogers is one of the gifted humans who straddles the line between mythfolk and mundane, and he's never told anyone about the day he healed a dragon.

Living in the city in human form, Bucky's managed to shed most of dragon-kind's more unpleasant tendencies, but he's never quite managed to shake the tendency to get attached, especially not when it comes to the healer who saved his life.

When healers start going missing, Bucky will do anything to make sure Steve isn't one of them, something that would be a hell of a lot easier if Steve could stand the sight of him. Of course, Steve might feel differently if he knew Bucky was the dragon he'd saved all those years ago.

The World’s at Stake by Atsadi on Ao3

16,3 K

Raiting: Teen And Up Audiences

No Warnings

Few soulmates are separated at birth by too much time – but when the distance becomes greater than one year all bets are off, with five years’ difference being equally as unusual as fifty.

Yet the one rule that has never been broken is that the soulmates’ lifespans always overlap.

So it came as something of a shock to the young boy in an orphanage in Brooklyn, New York, when his soul mark came in at the age of twelve and told him that his soulmate had been dead for almost sixty years.

Brooklyn by togina on Ao3

8,7 K

Raiting: Teen And Up Audiences

No Warnings

Need an Ao3 account to read

"Captain America, what's your stance on gay marriage?"

Everyone knows that, by now. Everyone but Bucky.

How can a loser ever win by sirona on Ao3

12,4 K 

Raiting: Mature

No Warnings

The Soldier should not be standing here, in the middle of a crowded room with obstructed exits, risking discovery with every second he remains rooted to the spot -- but.

But. He'd had to know.

Five Times Steve Scared the Ever-Living Shit Out Of Bucky, And The One Time Bucky Finally Did Something About It by WhatTheBodyGraspsNot on Ao3

7,6 K

No Warnings

Raiting: Mature

'Steve smiles against him, still getting his kicks with the whole thing. Because he might be a truly wonderful person, but he can also be a little shit if he wants to be.

“Never fucking do that to me again,” Bucky says, but it lacks venom.

“I won’t.” Steve says.

But Bucky knows he will because he’s Steve.'

OR: Whether he's doing it on purpose or not, Steve consistently scares the crap out of Bucky, who is already trying to deal with his looming feelings for the little punk. It's giving him gray hair.

Raise Your Hand If You Understand Russian by Alex_Writes on Ao3

6,3 K 

Raiting: Mature 

No Warnings

Bucky Barnes, a Russian foreign exchange student, moves in with Steve, Natasha, Tony, and Clint when Fury - the Dean of the college - realizes that his English is poor and that Natasha is the best candidate to work as an interpreter. Upon seeing Steve, Bucky starts making comments, knowing that only Natasha will understand what he's saying. Things change, though, when Tony insists they go to a carnival for "house bonding" and Steve overhears something. With a trick up his sleeve, Steve and Bucky proceed to surprise everyone in the house, proving that they might not know Steve as well as they thought they did.

Our Broken Parts (Smashed on the Floor) by This Girl Is (non_sequential) on Ao3

11,7 K

Raiting: Explicit

No Warnings

Steve is sent undercover to catch an elusive Russian assassin. He didn’t want to do it in the first place; he’s damn certain he won’t be asked again.

Bite Your Tongue by Avaaricious on Ao3

34,1 K

Raiting: Teen And Up Audiences

No Warnings

AKA the "I work at a department store and if you take out and unfold a shirt and then leave it one more time I'm going to stuff it down your throat" AU

Even Underneath The Waves by Leveragehunters on Ao3

20,4 K 

Raiting: Teen And Up Audiences

No Warnings

When the siren came to the merfolk clan in search of a temporary mate she knew she'd bear a daughter, a full-blooded siren, powerful and deadly. Instead she bore a son.

It was hard to be the son of a siren, a creature of suspicion in the eyes of his father's people, and Steve soon left his father's clan to wander the oceans alone. Alone, that is, until he found a human like he'd never seen. A human dressed all in black, surrounded by blood and death. A human whose heart's desire, buried deep beneath an inhuman shell, was crying out not to kill.

there must have been a moment where we could have said no by magdaliny

154,6 K

Raiting: Mature

Graphic Depictions Of Violence

The Soldier remembers this: he wakes up in the snow.

These Streets by alby_mangroves; Nejinee on Ao3

10 Works

108,5 K

Raiting: Mature

No Warnings

The trials and tribulations of Police Officer Steve Rogers and his experiences with the locals in his precinct, as well as his involvement with the stupidly handsome roughneck from the 'hood, Bucky Barnes.

Fill Your Heart Without Trying by Kellyscams on Ao3

38,5 K

Raiting: Explicit

No Warnings

Steve Rogers is a caster with one very big problem.

He's accidentally turned himself into a puppy.

When trying to cross the scary, busy street to get to Wanda Maximoff's Shoppe of Witchcraft to reverse this spell and get himself back to normal, Steve's picked up by someone trying to do a good deed and rescue a few pounds of pathetic puppy. Instead of getting to Wanda's place, Steve goes home with Bucky Barnes--his adorably shy rescuer.

Unfortunately, Bucky doesn't come off as terribly talented with magic and Steve has a feeling he might have to go to extremes to get someone to notice that he's not a normal puppy. Then again, maybe Steve's not the only one around here who's not what he seems.

it’s a strange courage by mambo on Ao3

27,5 K

Raiting: Explicit

Rape/Non-Con

"The question the entertainment world is asking themselves today is... Who is Steve? Hollywood superstar Bucky Barnes was spotted at a wrap-party last night, serenading someone named Steve onstage. Not only was Barnes more than a little tipsy, but he also sang a song from the Disney Channel Original Movie that started his career--a bold move, considering the fact that he always dodges questions about it. But who is Steve? Why did Bucky leave the club alone? What does this mean about the rumors of a relationship between Barnes and his co-star Natasha Romanoff? And is everyone's favorite poster boy gay? All this and more after a quick message from our sponsors!"

Critical Feline Mass by Kryptarian; zooeyscigar on Ao3

39,5 K

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

No Warnings

Adjusting to civilian life is hard for any military veteran — especially for one ex-sniper with a cybernetic arm, a classic Harley, and friends who keep trying to ‘help.’ When Sam Wilson at the VA sends Sergeant Barnes to rent a room from the hottest guy in the DC area, Bucky thinks maybe civilian life is worth it after all. And then he finds out Captain Rogers is everything Bucky’s not: a real hero, a Medal of Honor recipient, and an all-around nice guy. Bucky doesn’t have a chance in hell with him.

Sam was a huge help to Steve Rogers when he left the military. In the spirit of ‘pay it forward,’ Steve decides to rent out his basement room to a vet in need. But when Sergeant Barnes shows up on his doorstep, he knows he’s in for a world of trouble. Barnes is exactly what Steve never knew he wanted, from his bedroom eyes to his wicked innuendos. And he’s Steve’s tenant.

A love story in twelve chapters, including two Harley-Davidsons, a guardian angel, multiple snipers, the only woman who can scare them into behaving themselves, spontaneous kittens, and one attacking sheep.

technical difficulties by idekman on Ao3

7,1 K/WIP

Rating: General Audiences

No Warnigs

'Well, you got more followers than Katy Perry.' 'That's what you woke us up for? To tell me that I got more followers than some actress -' 'Katy Perry's a singer,' Bucky mumbles into the pillow. '-Some singer? It's -' he breaks off, checks the digital clock next to him. 'It's six o clock in the morning!' Next to him, Bucky lets out an offended groan. 'You're also on the news. Again.'

-

Steve Rogers' twitter ends up being more controversial than anyone expected.

(Maybe) It Might Be Love by endoftheline7 on Ao3

14,1 K

Raiting: Teen And Up Audoences 

No Warnings

Every day since the start of fourth year, Bucky Barnes has been asking Steve Rogers out. Steve always says no, of course- he knows it's a joke. Why would Bucky Barnes actually want to date him?

However as Bucky's attempts get even more ridiculous, Steve is finding it harder and harder to turn him away.

Is It Pretending If I Already Want You? by OhCaptainMyCaptain on Ao3

85,2 K

Raiting: Explicit

No Warnings

Based on prompt: Pretend Boyfriends AU where one of their families is always wondering why they're never in a relationship, so the other offers to pretend to be their boyfriend for some family event"

Basic Steps to Getting Yourself In a Pickle With Both Your Family and The Guy You've Secretly Crushed On For Five Years (A Guide):

STEP 1: After being perpetually single and constantly making up excuses to your family, give in and lie about having a boyfriend. STEP 2: Agree to bring said boyfriend to the family cottage for a week so he can be your date to your parents' wedding anniversary party. STEP 3: Panic. STEP 4: Say 'yes' when your best friend and closet crush - who you're convinced isn't interested in you that way in the least - offers to be your pretend boyfriend. STEP 5: Try your best not to fall in love with them during the trip. STEP 6: Fail miserably.

I’m just the man on the balcony (singing ‘nobody will ever remember me’) by megyal on Ao3

3,5 K

Raiting: Mature

No Warnings

"They call you the Winter Soldier," the man said. "But I know who you really are."

Coffee, Trapper Hats and Chocolate Wasabi Fudge Cake by perfect_plan on Ao3

15,0 K

Raiting: Mature

No Warnings

Bucky likes his job at Natasha's coffee shop. Mostly that has to do with Steve Rogers, who wears a dorky hat to work and sketches on his lunch break but Bucky's not going to tell anyone that.

[seraproto]

First Haul! Also Happy Birthday to me!

Finally got to go shopping at my local retro store and I got my first haul of games and stuff. Figures I’d pick up a shopping heavy hobby in the middle of a pandemic when you can’t actually shop but that’s how it is sometimes. I didn’t pick up any consoles this time but I got quite a few games and I got to go game shopping on the day before my birthday. I turn 29 as of today.

So as a refresher the retro consoles I have as of right now is Xbox OG, first model Wii, DSi, and a Retron 5 (plays gba, nes, famicom, snes, and genesis). Since I didn’t get new hardware I thought I’d mention them since I got stuff I can play immediately.

First up is Metroid Prime 3 Corruption and Metroid Other M, I have never played a Metroid game. I know most people didn’t like Other M but I figured I should pick up a bad one with a good one if I’m going to try the series. I’m starting with 3 because 1 and 2 were a bit pricey at the moment and they had several copies so I’ll pick ‘em up as I go. I’ve seen the Prime games played and I love FPS games so I think I’ll enjoy them. Other M all I know is it was made by Team Ninja and everyone hated it. Both are CIB (Complete in box, that means they have the case, disc, and manuals).

Donkey Konga 2 was an easy pick up, I already own the bongos and the box art on this one is the same version that was used for the bundle. Meaning someone bought the bundle and sold it without the bongos, not a big deal but it means I get the bundle version without have to buy them. As of me buying it, it’s CIB for the bundle but not the original bongos it shipped with.

Doom 3 I didn’t initially want until I saw the steelbook version and even though this game is super cheap I had to have it just for the wow factor. It’s a gorgeous steelbook with lots of false scratches, rust, and blood. It’s just neat looking. From what I’m hearing, this version of Doom 3 happens to be the best as it has full campaign co-op and it’s on the Xbox OG. A lot of Multiplatform games looked and ran their best on the Xbox as it has better PC grade (for the time) hardware. My copy isn’t CIB as it doesn’t have it’s manual and plastic sleeve but it is in near perfect condition save for a slight ding in the spine. 

Next up is Baten Kaitos, this game is actually incredibly nostalgic for me and a stand out game in general. This generation of games was swarmed with RPGs, Xenosaga, Final Fantasy, and tons more mostly favoring the PS2. Baten Kaitos was a Gamecube exclusive with some neat mechanics. It was a card based combat rpg where cards aged in real time. The best example being the healing item Bamboo Shoot would eventually age and turn into Bambo Spear, an attack weapon. Another thing of note is this is Namco, not Bandai Namco. This was 2 years before they were bought out by Bandai. It is CIB, both discs and the manual, everything near perfect.

Advent Rising, my girlfriend Nicole suggested this one to me because it’s a big talking point. New IPs have a bit of tendency to fail or have an expensive rocky start. A big reason we don’t see much innovation or new IPs here in 2020 outside of indie titles or Nintendo. They’re too big a risky for some which is why this generation is a fun one to collect for, they took chances and paved the way for where we are now. Anyway, publishers will often suggest changes to improve the chances of new games. In this one they did a contest, although that contest never had an intention to pay out. Weird considering they were banking on this game going into a trilogy. It’s CIB but the manual has a sticker on it, I hate these stickers they’re like a slap in the face to collectors.

Panzer Dragoon Orta, this one was recommended to me by Nicole and about half the internet. It’s an On Rails Shooter where you ride a dragon. Shooty make dragon happy, dragon happy make me happy. Easy buy, also a well loved game. Unfortunately the disc is well loved too, some noticeable scratches. It looks as if it was left out on a desk for a while because these aren’t “I played the game a lot scratches” so much as “I accidentally left it out and my mom used it as a coaster a couple times” scratches. No manual.

Sonic Spinball, I don’t own any genesis games right now and this was the only one I had any interest in that was present at the shop. They didn’t have a single other sonic game, other than Sonic & Knuckles which won’t work without another game plugged into it, the genesis was weird, adventurous, but very weird. Just the game, no box.

Also picked up some accessories, an Orange Spice colored Gamecube controller from Old Skool. The orange spice gamecube is the original gamecube color for Japan, the one most of us had was either Silver, Black, or Indigo. I thought the orange looked neat. Other than that a small gamecube card, need it for Baten Kaitos, and a Nunchuk because I don’t have one for some reason.

Anyway, hopefully you found this interesting. I thought I’d share my new stuff in detail since Twitter makes threads annoying at the best. 

If you want to watch me play games like these and new stuff too live on mostly original hardware (the retron 5 being the exclusion not the rule) check out my Twitch.

Check out my Youtube for new, old, and unreleased stuff.

Follow my Twitter (it’s the easiest way to contact me as well) for updates and everything me, and yeah thank you for reading.

[elleleuthold]

Get to know the writer:

I was tagged by @caffeinewitchcraft in the Writer’s info meme. Thanks, this was fun!

1. Name?

Elle. It’s been a nickname for a while, and is now a penname.

2. Five words that describe your writing?

A mess of character emotions.

3. Literature / art / films you’d recommend?

I always have trouble with this question. But if you like history, I recommend Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Lowen for American history, and I just got Rejected Princesses for Christmas and am quite enjoying it. In fiction, I heartily recommend the Discworld series (don’t feel like you have to go chronologically) and Every Heart A Doorway (<3 multiple worlds and an ace protagonist). For classic fantasy, I go Belgariad for the cleanest, clearest hero’s journey I have ever read, and for classic sci-fi I’ll say the Ender’s Game series, because it was the first to really open my eyes to the ways adult actions and popular narratives shape children/the future. If I had to choose only one book to read over and over forever it would be Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. My favorite short stories are You, an Accidental Astronaut by Sonja Natasha (@heysonjanatasha), and How to Become a Robot in 12 Easy Steps by A. Merc Rustad (just go read all their stuff). My favorite poet is Richard Siken; Crush destroys me every time I pick it up.

I’ve also read a lot of good books this fall (I started following @lgbtqreads, @disabilityinkidlit and @richincolor which are great if you’re looking for more diverse options). Lies We Tell Ourselves is a really impactful story about desegregation, racism and lesbian coming-of-age in the South; Not Otherwise Specified is Contemporary YA about a black bi girl in Nebraska and I loved it to pieces, and I’ve been reading the Wings of Fire series at work, which is a highly-addictive kids series about dragons and prophecies.

Gah, this is turning into an essay, um. I like a lot of art, but I am terrible about remembering pieces or artists. The stuff I like best usually has evocative linework and minimal, but bright, colors. For film, I’ll say Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ghost in the Shell (the anime, subbed), Steven Universe and the first two seasons of Elementary. Also Life, by NBC (it’s on Netflix), which is the best detective show I have ever seen, hands down. Characters, writing, plot, music, cinematography, everything is amazing. I also play a lot of Dragon Age and Mass Effect, which are games where you fight against injustice and other threats the government refuses to acknowledge exist, and also you can kiss love interests of whatever gender you feel like.

4. Images, symbols, and settings you associate with your work?

Smooth, damp rocks by the riverside, a blank sketchbook page and a cheap pen, too many research tabs in the browser, worn book spines, copper glinting in sunlight and the wind in my face. Also, I seem to write a lot stories that involve escaping various types of prisons for some reason.

5. Themes / concepts you are hesitant to write about?

Abuse and assault, and also non-mainstream-American/English/Japanese cultures, mostly because I’m afraid of getting things wrong. I very much want to write a multiplicity of situations and cultures but am still mostly in the research stage. On the abuse and assault topic, I am also squeamish.

6. What would you tell someone who’s nervous about starting out?

Everyone’s nervous. The greatest writers you idolize have self-doubt. You gotta start anyway, because no one else can tell the stories you can. Start with whatever your favorite pet idea is. Frame it in words. Get it on paper. But don’t confine yourself to that. Write it when it’s fun, and write other stuff the rest of the time. You might need to practice more to really do it justice, and that’s okay. Take prompts, write sprints and drabbles and fanfic and poetry. Do NaNo, enter challenges with daunting deadlines. But above all else, finish a story. However long, however short. Finish something. I learned more from finishing one piece and editing it than writing 100 unfinished snippets, and each successive piece I finish adds to that knowledge.

And if you’re comfortable, post it. If you’re not, share it with someone, even if it’s unfinished and you’re just stuck. An alpha reader, a beta editor. Ask your friends and followers to look at a carefully controlled google doc. Ask me. If I can’t look something over for you myself I’ll do my best to put you in touch with someone who can. Writing gets about 1000 times more fun when you’re not doing it in a vacuum.

7. Three of your writings you’d recommend to people who’d like to know more about you?

Well, I haven’t posted much here yet! But this faerie snippet is based on my favorite fairy tale ever, The Ballad of Tam Lin (the original has some skeevy bits but I have a few novel adaptations I adore), bridesmaid is probably the most personal of what I’ve posted so far, and Exit Arc is the most polished piece. I’ve been writing in fandom for years (Heroes, Doctor Who, Marvel, Band of Brothers, etc), but I’m trying to keep this account just slightly separate from my fanworks. If you’re interested in my fics, I’d be happy to share that info via ask or message.

8. What pushes you to keep writing?

I’ve learned in the last few years that words are even more important than I realized, and stories are on a whole level above that. I spent a few years in academia, and a few years in magazine editing, and while I still loved words in the end, those experiences conspired to convince me that words were infinitely mutable and no story could be true in any lasting way. But then I started working in schools, with kids of every age between six and 18, and I could see, again, how important words were, and how much impact stories could have. I started reading more nonfiction and stories other than fanfiction again. And I looked at the state of published fiction and determined that most of it is not a vision of the world I want those kids to grow up with. Most published fiction I see on shelves and in magazines doesn’t even represent my own generation, let alone theirs. Things are getting better, more inclusive and representative, but a lot of publishing companies are run by people like my old boss, who gladhand around in an exclusively white, straight and male club and think that trying new things and helping people achieve their dreams should take a distant backseat to making money.

So I guess what I’m saying here is that what drives me is a desire to see more stories that reflect a world I want to live in, where people who haven’t been traditionally recognized in popular literature not only exist, but go on adventures and save the world, because everyone should have access to that dream. I want more stories about hope and friendship and the importance of taking care of ourselves and standing up for each other, because we need more of that in the world. I want to see more stories that break genre barriers and refuse to follow the same old patterns, and stories that actively criticize those patterns, because those are the stories that teach people to think outside prescribed lines. And I can’t sit here, feeling these things, and not contribute.

and i will tag... @fontess, @mm-mendell and @eggletine (only if you feel like it, of course!)

[tortuga-aak]

The best ice scrapers for your car to keep your windshield clean

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

You can't drive a car with a windshield covered in ice. Fortunately, even a stubborn coating of ice is easy to clear with a bit of elbow grease and a great ice scraper. The Primary Automotive Rocky Mountain Ice Scraper is our top choice thanks to its simple but effective chisel and claw design that's built to last for years.

No one has ever woken up in the morning and said: "Boy, I hope there's a thick layer of ice encrusted on my windshield today!" But on far too many frigid winter mornings, scraping snow and ice off of your car is an unavoidable chore if you plan to leave the property without a pair of snowshoes on your feet. Fortunately, we're living in a golden age when it comes to ice scrapers and snow removal tools.

The best approach to dealing with an ice- and snow-covered car is to plan ahead and cover the windshield of your vehicle with a snow cover. These clever covers can be pulled off prior to your drive, whisking away the snow and preventing ice from adhering to the glass in the first place. Other fine approaches to dealing with winter weather are to get a job where you can work from home or to save up vacation days and hit the snooze alarm after a storm.

But unless you check the forecast without fail and said forecast is always accurate, allowing you to know precisely when to proactively deploy your snow cover, if you live in any state but Hawaii, there's a good chance you'll find snow and/or ice on your car at least a few times this winter. 

If your region sees limited snowfall but plenty of cold mornings, then a simple ice scraper is probably all you need. For moderate snowfall, a scrape that also features a brush is a good idea, as these devices allow you to remove the top layer of snow and then chisel away at the ice coating the windows. For areas that see huge volumes of snow, you might need a larger snow broom type of device that's big enough to push around snow that has piled up many inches atop your car. 

In some cases, you will probably need a two-pronged approach to your automotive snow removal process, a large broom, brush, or pushing device to remove the snow, and a smaller, hard-edged scraper to deal with the ice. Here's the good news: These things aren't very expensive.

I can attest to their low cost and to the need for a varied approach personally because while I'm hesitant to admit this, I... I own four different snow scrapers. Yes, that allows me to bring some personal expertise to the topic, but it also just seems gratuitous.

Although the Primary Automotive Rocky Mountain Ice Scraper is our top pick, for the reasons laid out in the slides below you should also consider the SnoBrum Original Snow Removal Tool, the Dragon Squama Ice Scraper Mitt, the AmazonBasics Snow Brush & Ice Scraper, and the Perfect Life Ideas 12-Volt Heated Ice Scraper.

The best ice scraper overall

Primary Automotive

Why you'll love it: The Primary Automotive Rocky Mountain Ice Scraper is sturdy, simple, and effective with a shorter design that allows you to apply maximum pressure while you break up that stubborn sheet of ice.

Scraping off of a windshield is not rocket science. You apply downward force, push the scraper forward (or pull it toward you, depending on your preferred technique) and repeat that until the ice is broken up and scraped away. For the side windows and side view mirrors, just apply a bit less force and ... that's pretty much all there is to it. With a bit of persistence, that ice doesn't stand a chance.

For a simple task, a simple tool is the best choice. And the Primary Automotive Rocky Mountain Ice Scraper is gloriously simple. It features a foam-covered grip that's the perfect size to fit in a gloved fist, it has a thick plastic ice chisel on one side of its head and a six-toothed ice claw on the other. The claw can help break up thick layers of ice, while the chisel lifts them off of the glass and lets you push chunks of loosened ice off of the vehicle.

A shorter handle would be too small for a solid grip. A longer handle could reduce your ability to precisely control the scraper. The plastic helps prevent accidental damage to the vehicle's paint job. The included waterproof storage bag keeps the inside of your car dry once the scraping is completed. That's the 4-1-1 here, folks: This is a compact, solid scraper that's ideal for most moderate winter climates.

One satisfied customer calls this scraper "sturdy" and says it "works very well ... and does not scratch the coating on the windshield." Another owner says it "feels about 10x more sturdy than any other ice scraper I've used." Overall, Amazon customers have given the Primary Automotive Rocky Mountain Ice Scraper a lofty rating of 4.7 stars.

In a review from WeAreTop10.com, a product tester said this scraper can "smash the tough ice in a few minutes" and praised the manufacturer's 10-year warranty. A GistGear.com roundup of the best ice scrapers ranked this one as the top pick, just like we did.

Pros: Rugged construction, dual scraping surfaces, compact and easy to store, great warranty

Cons: Hard to reach middle of large windshield on trucks, vans, or SUVs

Buy the Primary Automotive Rocky Mountain Ice Scraper on Amazon for $14.97

The best tool for clearing deep snow off cars

SnoBrum

Why you'll love it: The SnoBrum Original Snow Removal Tool will help you clear snowdrifts from your car without scratching glass, auto paint, or vinyl wraps.

First, for the record, the name of this product is indeed pronounced "snow broom," though based on the spelling, one could be forgiven for calling it "snob rum." You'll have to look elsewhere for an elitist liquor distilled from sugar cane extract, but if you're looking for a tool that can help you push mighty volumes of snow off your car, you're in the right place.

The SnoBrum Original Snow Removal Tool consists of a telescoping handle that can extend from 26-inches out to 46-inches in length, giving users of most heights (and arm lengths) easy access to the entirety of the windshield, hood, and even the roof of most vehicles.

What's at the business end of this extendable handle? A rectangular head measuring six- by 17-inches that's constructed from durable polyethylene foam. The foam head is sturdy enough not to bend or buckle even as you push against heavy snow load, yet the material is also gentle enough not to scratch the exterior of your car — that includes auto paint, window and windshield glass, and even those more delicate vehicle vinyl wraps.

Here's the catch: This is not a true ice scraper, per say, so for thick, stubborn layers of ice, you're going to need a different tool with a harder edge. For snow alone, the SnoBrum is ideal; for snow piled atop ice, remember that whole two-pronged approach we talked about earlier and invest in this tool and a scraper for the win.

With well over a thousand reviews logged, the SnoBrum scores a solid 4.3 out of five-star rating on Amazon. A user named Rosemary who faces bitter New England winters each year sums up this tool's advantages in her post, which reads in part: "The SnoBrum is awesome. A few sweeps and everything is clean and no scratches. The long adjustable handle makes it much easier to brush off the top of my very tall SUV ... and the price is great!"

A writer with MyCarNeedsThis.com calls the SnoBrum "simple but effective," adding that "for all those times when you wake up to snow packing your entire car, using the SnoBrum is an effective and quick way to move large amount of dry and wet snow."

Pros: Ideal for heavy snow load removal, gentle on paint, long pole provides great reach

Cons: Not sufficient for stubborn ice

Buy the SnoBrum Original Snow Removal Tool on Amazon for $22.97

The best ice scraper for extreme cold weather

Dragon Squama

Why you'll love it: The Dragon Squama Ice Scraper Mitt combines an ice scraper with a mitten to keep your hand warm while you remove ice from your windshield. 

If it's cold enough out to see ice and snow clinging to the windows of your car, it's probably cold enough to chill your fingers. If the ambient air temperature and the wind chill weren't enough to freeze those digits, plunging them into the hoary frost adorning your vehicle will certainly do it. Sure, you can always wear gloves while using any old ice scraper, but an even simpler solution is to use an ice scraper with a mitten built in. Or, to be more precise, a mitt with a scraper built in, actually.

The Dragon Squama Ice Scraper Mitt comes with a classic simple plastic scraper with a 4.3-inch plastic chisel blade set into a solid handle. While effective, there's nothing all that remarkable about the ice scraper itself.

Of note here is how seamlessly the fan-shaped scraper slides into the included mitt, a mitt that has a soft, warm interior fleece lining and a quilted waterproof exterior. The mitt is generously sized to accommodate hands both large and small, and is also big enough for you to slide in a hand and forearm even while you're wearing a jacket and even with a pair of thinner gloves on. The mitt will not only keep your hand warm and dry, but it will also keep your clothing cleaner.

One Dragon Squama Ice Scraper Mitt owner sums it up adroitly when she says the tool "does a wonderful job at scraping all the snow or ice off my windshield, back windows and side windows ... My hand stays really warm, no matter how much scraping I do." Another customer is equally effusive, saying the scraper "is a great product that does exactly what it's supposed to."

The product review experts from Wiki.Ezvid.com give this scraper and mitt combo high marks, calling it a "high quality scraper" that "protects your car and your hand."

Pros: Keeps hand warm and safe, waterproof exterior, available in multiple colors

Cons: Actual scraper small and rather basic

Buy the Dragon Squama Ice Scraper Mitt on Amazon for $14.95 (originally $19.99)

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[recentanimenews]

Three-Episode Test: Ink's Winter 2017

Welcome (back) to the Three Episode Test, where contributors give you the low-down on what they're watching from the current simulcast season and why.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

Streaming on Crunchyroll In what turns out to be the ultimate consequence of beer (sake) goggles, office worker Kobayashi wakes up one morning and forgets a kindness she paid to a dragon in distress the previous night while stumbling through the woods. That creature, named Tohru, then shows up at Kobayashi’s door as she opens it to go to work, morphs into a cute maid (complete with horns and a tail), and moves in with Kobayashi. Hijinks ensue.

The whole “human saves creature, then creature returns to repay human in money/love” theme is a common one in Japanese folklore, but this series carries a way sillier tone than most of those folktales straight off the bat. Also, I’ve evidently got a thing for female drinkers in their thirties who work soul-draining jobs and have spherical heads. What can I say?

My interest in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid lies much more with the defeated malaise with which Kobayashi both walks through her daily life and confronts the reality of supernatural beings than any aspects of her newfound servant or her flying, tail-swinging friends (who also adopt the moé maid form factor as their default domestic countenance). However, I do love some of the choices made in-series regarding the art – specifically colors, framing, postures, and scale. (No pun intended, ‘cause, you know…dragons). This is my surprise long-form comedy of the season.

Fuuka

Streaming on Crunchyroll A sequel of sorts to Suzuka in that it focuses on the daughter of that title’s protagonist, Fuuka features the titular girl, an aimless high school student who loves music, and a boy (Yuu) who comes to be quite stricken by with her. Fuuka suddenly obsesses over starting a band after meeting the well-intentioned but hapless Yuu, who seems fated to accidentally stare at Fuuka’s panties. But those aren’t the only panties peeking out at Yuu; his sisters can never seem to find anything to wear (literally), and a long-separated childhood friend-turned-pop idol just so happens to suddenly give him a call, a visit, and a romantic conflict.

The first three minutes, let alone those that follow throughout the first three episodes, show exactly what this series is going to be. Even though I’m a sucker for a love triangle drama, overly detailed fanservice and the abundance of it (evidently a trademark of Kouji Seo, the original work’s manga-ka), literally shoved in viewers’ faces via a camera with zero sense of personal space and a leerer’s eye for a lens, severely detracts from what could be the series’ saving graces: Fuuka’s independence and flirty forthrightness; a slightly less-than-usual milquetoast male protagonist; and earnestly inspiring moments of clarity/awe. Other than the cliffhanger confrontation at the end of Episode 3, there’s far too little to entice me to watch this weekly or continue at all.

Interviews with Monster Girls

Streaming on Crunchyroll As a biology teacher, Tetsuo Takahashi takes a particular interest in the demi-humans – a vampire, a snow girl (yuki onna), a headless girl (dullahan), and a succubus – present at Shibasaki High. Not knowing too much about the daily lives of monster girls, Tetsuo decides to sit down with each and talk with them to gain a greater understanding of both his students and life as creatures not wholly human.

After my gag reflex to Monster Musume, I did not, in any way, ever see myself watching Interviews with Monster Girls (much less genuinely enjoying it). And while this show could easily be titled “Interviews with Mo(nst)é(r) Girls,” the setting, the girls’ ages, and the fact that they’re effectively minorities in a “normal” human school justify their design and demeanor. On top of that, and even though there’s a harem air regarding the male protagonist and the supporting female cast (all the students and even one of the teachers are in love with him to some degree), the series manages to avoid the outright lewd and capture both the humor and reminiscent sweetness inherent in (first) crushes and awkward situations. To that, there’s a great bit of subversion going on regarding the succubus being portrayed as a typical “glasses girl” in an effort to not appeal to a moé-seeking audience, and the detail given to the animation of the dullahan’s eyes, hands, and arms is probably the best thing about the series. All this makes for a good enough excuse to keep watching weekly.

Saga of Tanya the Evil

Streaming on Crunchyroll In 2013, a callous salaryman/axman gets shoved in front of a train by a disgruntled ex-employee, meets (a) god, and is reincarnated as a little girl (Tanya Degurechaff) in a Germany-like state during a WWI-like war wherein mages provide areal support for ground troops. Cursed by the god she meets and refuses to acknowledge as such (calling it “Being X” instead), Tanya is born with great magical potential but can only use it if she says a prayer first. This is the means by which Being X hopes to instill faith into the salaryman’s soul.

Saga of Tanya the Evil (a much better title than the original Youjo Senki in that it is much sillier) is everything my melodramatic teenage self would have loved. And honestly the outright internal resistance to organized religion or the concept of God in general is still something that strikes a chord with me. Older me likes the more subdued commentary, such as the admission from God in Episode 2 that “Administering seven billion people is already beyond my capacity” as delivered through a frozen-in-time salaryman vessel who’s tired and slumped over his own watch. Teenage me really just likes Tanya’s selfishness and wickedness and things that go boom. Also, the series is pretty much drawn to give excuses to make Tanya smile like a demon, and it’s a pretty great reason to watch. Her VA also really brings the character to life.

One Room

Streaming on Crunchyroll During this series comprised of less-than-four-minute, POV-based shorts, you're behind the eyes of a mute, university-aged male who gets a knock on his Tokyo apartment door one day. The person knocking turns out to be Hanasaka Yui, a young girl who has just moved into the adjacent apartment. The first, second, and third episodes are, respectively, dedicated to her introduction, her tutelage and going to a public bath, and her cooking and (more) tutelage – all in one room...your room. (Except the public bath…that takes place in a public bath.)

For the loneliness deterrent/masturbation aid it is meant to be to its target audience, this is a fine example of an anime that never needed to be made. My only real gripe with the show, keeping in mind its intended audience, is that it only mostly holds to first person perspective. That is to say that the camera, the show’s very premise, wanders whenever (and wherever) it feels like it. Each betrayal of the show’s mission statement is mostly to ogle Hanasaka from the rear or side (in cuts too quick to be anything other than third person) or her chest (from her own perspective). As is the case when Hanasaka enters an empty room at the beginning of Episode 2, sometimes the camera isn’t even employed for POV and instead simply serves to establish the setting. And while that example might make the case for the first person perspective to be from the room itself, that is obviously not the case; there are different locales after all, and differences in the height from which you, the viewer, look at this girl range from eyelevel to a god-like areal vantage of disapproval.

Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories 4 (sequel)

Streaming on Crunchyroll Based on the kamishibai aesthetic, Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories specializes in a specific type of scare in each and every season. The first season brings boo scares based on the art style’s uncanny valley effect and laudable storyboarding. The second season focuses on mental distress applied to metaphysical horror. And the highly contested third season, of which Jared and I also talk about at length, brings monster-based horror home in a wonderfully surprising frame story. So what does Season 4 offer so far?

To start, the fourth season of Yamishibai focuses on narration – a typical and prominent aspect of anime against which I usually (and still do) rail. I’ve mixed feelings about it here though. Vocal exposition falls in line with that of the previous seasons, but narration, which lasts the entirety of each tale, at once dilutes the visual execution while imparting inflections, an overall tone, and a pacing that lends to the aural ambience of the story itself. Did I mention that the narrator is a different VA, including a Noh master, in each episode? In another first, Season 4 integrates live action snippets. This simultaneously imparts a jarring otherworldliness and laughable juxtaposition. It’s not the best visual direction, especially given the hitherto held execution of the series, but it’s a strike at something new, and occasionally, even in the first few episodes, it works enough to keep curiosity alive.

Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju: Descending Stories (sequel)

Streaming on Crunchyroll I’m admittedly cheating on this one since a prior review obligation to the first season made me wait to indulge in the second. In short: I’ve yet to see the requisite three episodes to talk about this sequel to my 2016 AOTY. But if you listen to the two-plus hour podcast I did with Jared, there’s obviously no way in hell I’d not watch the second season in its entirety. I’m invested in these characters and want to see where the story takes them and how it takes them there. Think of the possibilities inherent in the title's pun (pun intended)!

originally appeared on Ani-Gamers on January 28, 2017 at 5:00 PM.

By: Ink