#Not in like a creepy way more just that I think he’s a great VA

[childofaura]

Were you ever asked about Shigure art? I was about to ask if the Resplendent may have become your new favorite but all I can find is Ninja posts and "its not Silas so my wallet is safe"

I made a brief reaction post, but no official review of it, so I think our blue lad deserves a review.

Resplendent Shigure, drawn by… I think Kano Akira. Google translate fails me and I think that’s the only artist that matches that style:

I wanna say that this Resplendent is lovely. Nifl’s elements were incorporated so well over Shigure’s outfit; the shoulder pauldrons with the gems, the Nifl trinkets on his little belt, the feathers, the snowflake trim… Shigure looks like he could be Fjorm’s slightly younger brother. My only gripe is that I wish he had a cape or a scarf added to the outfit for maximum flowiness. But what we got was definitely beautiful.

The art itself is really nice too. Nothing against Yura’s original piece, but the way they shaded the nose was so weird. Kano Akira fixes that issue, and also colors his eyes in a pretty way. Posework is decent and the effects for his critical portrait are rad. The expressions are pretty good, too. Shigure got some much needed attention.

I think Nifl fits based more on the aesthetic rather than an actual thematic reason for Shigure. One, it’s because he’s matching his mother. And two, Nifl’s color scheme is similar to Valla’s, so it definitely looks good on Shigure.

Overall, I’d give Resplendent Shigure a 9/10. I just wish he had a cape or scarf, then we would have had a 10/10 design.

[kkat-astrophic]

Tierlist!

My Danganronpa Opinion Tier-list (With rankings, EX./10 and reasons why they're ranked that way below.) (I've only played the first two games, so the V3 ones might not be accurate.)

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD

FAVOURITES:

Kiyotaka Ishimaru - AMAZING CHARACTER, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH, LITERALLY KIN HIM SO MUCH, love the VA, hated his death and trial. - 10/10

Mondo Owada - He's also the best, I love his design, his character, his VA, his motive, his trial, his execution was kinda.... BUT I STILL LOVE MONDO - 10/10

Sonia Nevermind - She's so funny and her ftes are great! So good and love her in trials. Great VA, sondam is awesome. - 9/10

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu - Great Ch.Development after chp2 love him so much. - 9/10

Gundham Tanaka - I love him SO MUCH he's amazing and funny and his execution made me cry alot. Sondam for life - 9/10

I just realised Ishida wasn't on this list but Jill/Syo was, so I'm putting him below:

#. Kiyondo Ishida - Literally an icon. Wished he was in a trial with Syo. 8.8/10

Love:

6. Sayaka Maizono - I used to hate her lol, love this queen. - 8.7/10

7. Mikan Tsumiki - I might get hate for this one... - 8.5/10

8. Sakura Ogami - A sweetheart and a hero - 8.3/10

9. Chihiro Fujisaki - He's so cute I wanna pat him on the head - 8.3/10

10. Akane Owari - Underrated, love her. - 8/10

11. Hajime Hinata - Best Protag - 7.9/10

12. Kaito Momota - He believes in Gonta - 7.8/10

13. Shuichi Saihara - Pretty cool ngl I like him :3 - 7.8/10

14. Ryoma Hoshi - Underrated like Akane - 7.7/10

Like/Love:

15. Chiaki Nanami - Her FTEs are cute. Noble character. Love her. - 7.6/10

16. Nagito Komaeda - A TINY bit overrated but I still love him - 7.5/10

17. Aoi Asahina - Relatable Queen - 7.4/10

18. Genocider Syo/Jill - She's much funnier than Toko tbh. - 7.4/10

19. Byakuaya Togami - Why did I put him next to Syo lol - 7.3/10

20. Kazuichi Souda - Shark guy. Funny. He's pretty good :) - 7.2/10

21. Peko Pekoyama - Sweet character, AMAZING EXECUTION - 7.1/10

22. Nekomaru Nidai - SO UNDERRATED - 7/10

23. Kaede Akamatsu - Probably would put higher if I had played V3 - 7/10

24. Gonta Gokuhara - Super nice and sweet :) - 7/10

25. K1-B0 (Keebo) - He's actually a cutie patootie - 7/10

Like:

26. Makoto Naegi - THE CUTIE PATOOTIE - 6.9/10

27. Kyoko Kirigiri - Nice, but I couldn't love her character like everybody else tbh- - 6.8/10

28. Leon Kuwata - Chill dude, him and Ibuki probs good friends. - 6.7

29. Kokichi Ouma - He's pretty cool, good VA, cooked in his trial. - 6.7

30. Ibuki Mioda - Funny, sweet, a tiny bit overrated. My mum called her a furry once- - 6.5

31. Monokuma - How can you not like the mascot y'all- - 6.4 bc he killed my faves :,)

32. Rantaro Amami - He's cool, but idk him well. Wish we got to see his character more. - 6.3

33. Korekiyo Shinguji - Chill guy, interesting, weird subplot. - 6.2

34. Himiko Yumeno - Overhated tbh, cute, nice, cries a bit too much. - 6.1/10

35. Maki Harukawa - Not a big fan of the quiet brooding ch. but Idk her well so I won't judge too much. :) - 6/10

Neutrual - Like:

36. Celestia Ludenburg - She's pretty cool, trash motive, lied about Taka. That's the reason she isn't higher. 5.9/10

37. Toko Fukawa - A bit creepy, weird, but I still like her. Glad she survived tho tbh. - 5.8/10

38. Tenko Chabashira - Idk her charcater, I just know her "degenerate male" thingy, which is... interesting... no hate tho - 5.7/10

39. Mukuro Ikusaba - Wish she was in THH longer! OMG FAKE-JUNKO WAS SO COOL! Didn't see enough of her to rate higher. - 5.6/10

40. Izuru Kamakura - Cool concept, overrated tho- 5.5/10

41. Junko Enoshima - Cool ch. shit motive. Killed my faves- 5.3/10

42. Imposter/"Byakuya" - Good in SDR2 but didn't see enough of him :( - 5.2/10

43. Usami/Monomi - Cute mascot but I skipped her ALL of her dialogue because she annoyed TF out of me. - 5.1/10

44. Tsumugi Shirogane - GREAT VA but, I kinda don't know what to think about her. - 5.1/10

Neutral:

45. Yasuhiro Hagakure - A bit of a silly-billy, I dunno how he survived. He's closer to like than dislike tho. 5/10

46. Kirumi Tojo - She has the same VA as Hiyoko. HOW. Anyways, talented VA, cool execution, wish we got to see more of her tho. 5/10

47. Monodam - Apparently not as bad at the other ones? Byakuyas VA- 5/10

Neutral-Dislike:

48. Angie Yonaga - PRETTY DESIGN, GREAT VA, still not sure about her tho tbh... 4.6/10

49. Mahiru Koizumi - Boring, annoying, complains alot tbh, had great potential which wasn't used well. - 4.4/10

50. Teruteru Hanamura - Kinda... interesting. Surprisingly humane motive. I actually prefer him to Mahiru now... 4.3/10 (changed to 4.5/10)

Dislike:

51. Miu Iruma - There's alot to say about this girl... uh... 4.2/10

52. Hiyoko Saionji - Insufferable. I hate her, WHINY AND ANNOYING, I skipped all her dialogue. 3/10

53. Hifumi Yamada - I hate him, but I put him in this category bc why not. Skipped all of his dialogue, he annoyed me so much. I ignored him. He killed Taka for no reason. 2.5/10 because he was helpful in one trial.

HATE:

All the Monokubs, except I forgot their names. Incest weirdos, no point in the whole thing. 2/10

Anyway, my ranking is a bit controversial, so tell me what you guys think! <3

[chaifootsteps]

What’s up with Sam H and Viv weird obsession with Blake? I know he’s on Broadway and can sing but they keep propping him up as the best thing since slice bread is really uncomfortable and puts more pressure on Blake, like he’s an amazing singer but can he sing in character? Can he do improve with the character? Does he bounce off well with the actors? That’s why the hunicast was so great because the VAs were able to bounce off eachother and had dynamic and could stay in character

Either sam and Viv are trying to dissuade the fandom from missing Michael which is already impossible since the actor is just doing an impression of michael’s AD (I don’t fault the actor he probably wasn’t given good direction since he can’t stay consistent and alters between Michael/heavy New York accent/congested i don’t think he was allowed to create his unique spin on the character) even frieza VAs in the past have their own unique way of portraying frieza that isnt just an impersonation of the last VA, it’s a completely new voice but it’s still the character.

Also Sam H needs to shut up. How fucking dare he. Michael is the reason why AD is so popular in the fandom he brought the character to life he interacted with the fandom and promoted the fuck out of HH in his free time, Addict proved that Michael can sing and in character he IS the real deal. Michael goes the distant with every role, he loves each characters he plays and he loves making people happy. Im glad he’s getting more roles and is in a show with over 186 mil views

It's unfathomably creepy. It comes across "You all need to shut up about Michael, because we got this new and better Michael who sounds just like the old one except this one does what we say and calls Viv a genius on social media and isn't dating that damn dirty Ashley."

It's also not fair to Blake. He's got some roles under his belt, he was on Blue Bloods and was already set to make his Broadway debut playing Chopin, but they're acting like they discovered him and gave him his big break. It's fucking weird.

[journalsouppe]

Professor Layton and the Spectre’s Call!! I actually discovered ordering the game from the UK with shipping was actually cheaper than ordering the American version of the game, there were no major differences that I could tell as they still had the original English voice actors.

I enjoyed this game!! Not my top favorite installment but I still had a great time and loved the new characters. The puzzles were well designed and had nice scaled difficulty and the mini games were really neat too. The Eternal Diva references were so blatant lmfao but I’m excited for Miracle Mask! I was also super exhausted when writing the summary so sorry there’s so many errors and I use the word fun a million times ToT

The Descole and Tea sticker are from JordyDrawsMerch! All other stickers are from Daiso. Writing typed below!

Rating: 8.3

Played: Sp 2024

Port: DS on 3DS

Favorite? Y

Replayable? Y

Recommend? Y

Series: Professor Layton

Comments

Emmy and BABY LUKE!!

OH THANK GOD IT’S CHRISTOPHER ROBIN MILLER

Ngl im so excited to watch the anime, I love the animation sm

Oh Layton is not taking Claire’s death well at all

I love how animated the background now is!!

Beautiful music as always

Does Clark have the same VA as Dmitri lol

THE WORLD WILL END? Damn Luke

The specter looks like one of those little kingdom hearts guys

Luke’s been a LaytonMobile hater since day one lmao

Luke is especially funny in this game

Layton taking Luke to the black market is so wild

THE PUPPET PLAY IS ADORABLE

I’m going to fight aunt taffy

Ooo we get to play as Emmy

Holy shit Emmy

GIRL FROG

Emmy asking if Layton always pokes lamps he sees is making me think he physically touches everything the player taps

The convo with the meowing man???

CHELMEY AND BARTON

Based anti-cop npc

THE DYNAMITE WORKS LMAO

Is Hershel gonna get a cask of amantillado’d T^T

The canals are so pretty i like the design of misthallery

Oh i do not like the police chief

I LOVE YOU EMMYYY

Grosky is very funny

Omg the cliff death police cover up reminds me of killer frequency which i just watched a playthrough of

FUCK JAKES

Where’s phoenix when you need him

JAIL BREAK JAIL BREAK!!!

I love descole’s voice

YAAA LADDER VS STEP LADDER

NESSIE???

The story book stories and animations are so CUTE!!

I wonder if Naiya was added to the game to hit at the Eternal Diva

This kinda reminds me of a pokemon movie but I don’t remember which one it was

^^ it was pokemon heroes when latias and latios were caught ^^;

AN OCARINA!!!

Creepy fucking factory music ToT

Oh dear. I seem to have stepped on a hexagonal spanner

Descole always serving massive cunt

Woah the golden garden is beautiful

Ohh so that’s why Luke was fork life certified in plvspw

ZAMN T^T

THE WAY THE SPRITES WALK KILLS ME LOL

I really like these little episodes from others POVS! ^_^

Summary

This was such a fun origin story for Luke and Layton. Very much a classic Layton game with world ending machinery and gorgeous environment design. I really liked both Emmy and Descole, there’s a more serious undertone than with Don Paolo as the main villain (even though I do love Don Paolo). Emmy is amazing!! I was afraid she would be sidelined like Flora was but I’m glad to she stands her ground and does what she wants to do. I alos like how we got to go on our own adventure as her to London, she’s a character that doesn’t need to rely on Hershel to solve everything. Meeting Luke was great, loved his blank stare. It was fun seeing his origins and how Clark and Hershel knew each other. I’m curious how the prequels will play into the New World of Steam, especially now that Luke’s family have stories and sprites (unlike in the original trilogy). Loved the ACAB story, v nice to play while I’m still so mad at what’s happening to university students currently. Descole was so fun, I am obsessed with his outfit and personality. Unfortunately I was spoiled on who he is but I’m very excited to learn more. I think similar to Ace Attorney, the fourth installment is that last game in the classic 2D style, which is sad but PLvsPW makes me very hopeful about 3D Layton. The overall story was fun, I really liked the sub plot about the Ravens - that was really fun (i was so tired writing this omfg). I wish we got a little more backstory on the rich guy who died, I feel like there’s more to the story. OO I loved the little episodes, especially the one about Chelmey. They added a lot of fun context and gave more life to the NPCs. Such a fun and classic Layton game, I can’t wait to play Miracle Mask! (And read the light novels). This wasn’t my favorite Layton game but I still really loved it and had a great time and loved the puzzles — that’s all I want from PL!

[brucenorris007]

When has it ever been called a Super Star?

It’s Power Star you uncultured.... Ugh.

Super Star is the term they occasionally use in Mario Party games

NOT A POWER UP

They did get Mario’s curiosity right; even while he’s worried the whole way through about Luigi, he’s still looking all around this new world with awe and wonder.

Not sure about him being cocky, even if it’s to compensate for the fact that people have been telling him he’s destined for failure all his life, but as new takes on established characters go, it’s all right.

Nice of Peach to not once ask Mario his name the whole night he trained.

And again, BRO DIDN’T SLEEP; ATE MUSHROOMS TILL HE MADE HIMSELF SICK, AND DIDN’T SLEEP! If anyone tries to spin this movie into another dumbass theory that Mario secretly hates Luigi, it’s grounds for maiming.

And Luigi’s first scene in the Mushroom world, just after he gets through the door and bolts it against the Dry Bones and thinks he’s safe?

Shy Guys as the hidden threat revealed with a flash of lightning were the perfect choice.

Creepy as fuck!

Mario’s obvious discomfort being in the spotlight, that’s spot on; as his career spans over the years, he’ll learn to shrug it off, but it’s so clear that he really didn’t anticipate being involved in such a huge conflict just to find his brother.

Toad was the character who got the most of an overhaul I feel and the little dude was funny, crazy, and brought some of the wacky cartoon energy the movie needed.

The dialogue is... Well. It is.

The storytelling aspects from a visual standpoint were done well; power ups, facial expressions, characterization through how each of the cast moves their bodies. And yes, the animation working in motion was stellar.

Sometimes the spoken stuff just falls flat. Exchanges between the bros are still always cute and wholesome (and of course anything the brothers have to say about each other is cute and wholesome “HE’S MY BROTHER MARIO AND HE’S THE BEST GUY IN THE WHOLE WO-HO-HO-HORLD!”), Bowser is clearly having the most fun of all the cast (rightfully so, as JB is the one with the most VA experience, and he gets to be musical in the movie so he could not be more stoked) and like I said, Toad’s a crazy fun little dude. Rogen was rough, not gonna lie.

That only really accounts for a bit more than half the overall dialogue though, is the thing. Doesn’t quite bring the movie down, but there could’ve been a little more polish. And at times things like Peach’s vocalized love of the world isn’t necessary; could’ve let the facial expressions and her mannerisms and the scenery speak for itself. Pratt exceeded expectations in that he didn’t sour the movie as whole, but his performance didn’t make me look forward to hearing Mario, the titular character, speak unless it tied back to Luigi. Which is... not great.

“We’ve never been apart this long.” Toss up for how long the trek to the Kongs actually took, but visually it’s Mario’s second night in the Mushroom world. Less than 48 hours, and he says, melancholy and matter of fact that they’ve never been separated for that long.

The bros are ride or die for each other. I cannot stress enough how important it was the movie got this so so right.

It is baffling to me that they couldn’t work out a longer run time; perhaps not significantly longer, maybe not even breaking the two hour mark, but there are moments when things could have been fleshed out, just pump the brakes a little bit. I’m definitely guilty of abusing the in medias res style of writing to keep things moving, but just a little more time seeing how Peach handles being in charge before she encounters Mario, more time with the characters before the by-the-book switch-of-focus to the other brother.

I mean, if you wanna sell a grand epic adventure as a grand epic adventure, how things play out and are affected on the smaller scale is just as important as the breathtaking panning shots and global scale destruction.

This is pretty basic stuff; the global threat moves the Plot, and the effect said threat has on the characters moves the Viewers/Readers/Players. Gets us invested. Like, okay, Peach as an asskicking action girl-sure, yeah, we can work with that as a take so long as people aren’t weird about how she’s characterized in the games because that also works-but just enough time between her marching out of the war room and encountering Mario for us to see the toll being in charge during wartime has on her.

She’s tired, stressed, and spread thin because as one of her Toads pointed out, her people aren’t exactly built for combat. Then she meets Mario, a man just as willing to throw himself at this power-hungry insane dragon, if for his own reasons, and suddenly she’s not heading out on this pivotal mission by herself. She was going either way, and obviously she makes sure this little red man won’t get himself killed, but even if marginally it’s a relief that there’s someone next to her.

Just little things that show how the conflict affects the cast, gets the viewers invested, convinced of the stakes, all that. I know the visuals could’ve carried a lot of that storytelling because it does some of that like I said, characterizing the cast visually.

Also, as most any writer or viewer on this site will tell you breathing time between action scenes or major plot points does not always constitute filler. PACING, PEOPLE!

By the way, the Rainbow Road sequence is my favorite of the movie and I won’t be taking questions.

Of course Mario’s low point in the movie would be the WATER LEVEL. Okay, all right, yeah movie, if you did that on purpose, that’s some good self-awareness.

Though it is weird that the film says “Oh this heart-to-heart packed with barbs between rivals-turned-reluctant-allies can’t go on too long because it doesn’t fit in with this wacky cartoon video game movie” but somehow the Doomsaying Luma suits things? I dunno.

DK and Mario’s antagonistic not-friendship works real well. They were enemies for a long time in the franchise, stands to reason that they can’t stand each other even while working together.

DK really doesn’t have enough on-screen time for his end of the not-quite heart-to-heart, but then, a lot of potential for character moments seem to have been pushed aside to make space for some admittedly beautiful animation sequences. Which I love, obviously, but ideally you shouldn’t have to sacrifice one for the other, which ties back into what I mentioned about the runtime.

I have other thoughts, but that’s for other, more organized posts.

[rukbat3]

Babylon 5 Rewatch - Deathwalker

This is a post I originally wrote several years ago for Mark Oshiro’s Mark Watches blog. I don’t really plan to edit them before posting, so there may be some references that don’t make sense. If you see words that look like gibberish, they are actually rot13, which was our way of discussing spoilers. There are plugins you can install to decode the text (Cryptext is the one I use), or you can copy/paste to rot13.com, or just ignore it.

For me, this is one of the more memorable episodes of the series, and it’s mostly down to Sarah Douglas’s performance as Jha’dur. I think she does an amazing job of being cruel and creepy and totally confident that no one can touch her. She has a presence which just commands attention every time she is on screen.

We get another example of Sinclair’s command style in this episode, as he tries to suggest a compromise solution to the problem of how to deal with Jha’dur, and is shot down at first. But then later, when he manages to get the League representatives to listen, they find that his suggestion does, in fact, work for them. This is something that Sinclair does constantly—he thinks about problems and talks to people and manages to find ways for all parties to get what they want. He doesn’t just rush in and try to use force to impose his will on a situation. [season 1] Gur orfg rknzcyr bs guvf, vzb, vf pbzvat hc fubegyl va bar bs zl snibevgr rcvfbqrf, jura ur svaqf n pbzcebzvfr fbyhgvba gb gur qbpxref’ fgevxr.

And then there’s what is going on between Kosh and Talia. Weird, right? [whole series] Nyfb gur zbfg veevgngvat qebccrq cybg guernq va gur jubyr frevrf. Gurer jnf fb zhpu cbgragvny urer, naq rira nsgre “Qvivqrq Yblnygvrf” V ernyyl gubhtug jr jbhyq trg fbzr xvaq bs pnyyonpx gb guvf, cersrenoyl nf n jnl gb trg ure onpx, ohg abcr. Abguvat. V haqrefgnaq gur intnevrf bs gryrivfvba cebqhpgvba, ohg vg’f fgvyy qvfnccbvagvat gung abguvat rire pnzr bs guvf.

A couple of little moments I wanted to highlight: First in the council chamber before the big meeting, Londo is telling off Sinclair for lying to him. “We thought it best to handle this quietly,” Sinclair explains. Londo pauses briefly to look at the chaos around him. “Great job,” he says. Ooh, burn! I just love the sarcastic way he says it.

Second is later in that same scene, after the vote has been taken and everyone has left, furious. Sinclair and Lennier are alone, and Lennier tries to apologize and explain his part in what just happened. He admits that the Minbari government did know where Jha’dur was hiding and they kept it a secret—at the time because they were at war and she was useful to them. “We couldn’t reveal it then,” he says. “And like all secrets long kept, we cannot bear the shame of admitting it now.” Bill Mumy delivers this line with such quiet sadness and dignity, and there is so much truth in it. I love it. (Side note: Does this mean that Delenn knew about Jha’dur as well? We know, based on Sinclair’s memory, that she was in the Grey Council during the war.)

Lastly, let’s talk about Kosh. The Babylon File (an unauthorized guide to the show which is very informative) calls the resolution to this storyline “a true deus ex machina,” and it’s kind of right. There was no way to see that ending coming. Kosh has spent the entire episode off on a side quest, and before he shows up in the observation dome, we don’t really have any indication that he’s even aware of what has been going on. But somehow, at least to me, it still comes across as a great ending, and the very unexpectedness of it makes it even better. After the bombshell that Jha’dur has just dropped, having the decision taken out of our hands comes as a relief. And maybe that’s why Kosh is right when he says, “You are not ready for immortality.” Plus, this ending just adds even more to the Vorlon mythos.

[season 4] Xbfu npghnyyl qbrf gjb guvatf va guvf rcvfbqr gung ner pyhrf gung znlor gur Ibeybaf ner abg gur oraribyrag tbbq thlf gurl’q yvxr hf gb oryvrir—zrffvat jvgu Gnyvn’f zvaq naq znxvat n havyngreny qrpvfvba nobhg Wun’qhe. Ur znl abg, naq zl thrff vf ur cebonoyl qbrfa’g, rira xabj nobhg gur “fvqr rssrpgf” bs gur nagv-ntncvp. Ur whfg xabjf jung vg qbrf, naq qrpvqrf gung gur “lbhatre enprf” pna’g unaqyr vg. Naq lrg, fbzrubj, ba svefg ivrjvat, obgu bs gurfr uvagf, nf jryy nf yngre barf, jrag sylvat bire zl urnq. V obhtug vagb gur Ibeyba zlgubf gbgnyyl—naq V’z orggvat V’z abg nybar.

[same] V sbhaq n WZF dhbgr ba gur Yhexre’f Thvqr ragel sbe “Fvtaf naq Cbegragf” gung rynobengrf ba guvf n yvggyr zber: “Bar ybiryl guvat nobhg ‘Fvtaf naq Cbegragf,’ juvpu lbh cvpxrq hc ba, vf fbzrguvat V yvxr gb cynl jvgu; vzcylvat bar guvat juvyr fnlvat gur bccbfvgr. Ybbx ng nyy gur Funqbjf’ znva ercerfragngvir, Zbeqra, qbrf: ur nfxf crbcyr jung gurl jnag; ur trgf gbffrq bhg bs Qryraa'f dhnegref; ur vf cyrnfnag va uvf qrzrnabe ng nyy gvzrf, arire lryyf, nyjnlf fzvyrf, naq vf pbhegrbhf; ur gnxrf na npgvba juvpu fnirf bar bs bhe znva punenpgref, Ybaqb, sebz qvftenpr naq erfvtangvba, naq urycf va gur cebprff bs fpenttvat gur onq thlf va gur rcvfbqr. Naq lrg rirelbar jnyxf njnl guvaxvat gung gur Funqbjf ner onq. Juvpu jnf bs pbhefr gur vagrag … ol gur jnl va juvpu gurl qvq ‘tbbq.’ Xbfu ceriragf uhznavgl sebz npuvrivat vzzbegnyvgl, fpnerf gur uryy bhg bs Gnyvn, arire tvirf nalbar n fgenvtug nafjre, qbrfa'g frrz gb zvaq vg vs crbcyr srne uvz … naq jr jnyx njnl jvgu gur cerfhzcgvba gung ur vf tbbq, ol iveghr bs gur jnl va juvpu ur qvq guvatf gung jrer ‘onq.’” Gung’f fbzr terng jevgvat!

One little issue I had that I wanted to mention: Why doesn’t Franklin recognize Jha’dur’s species? We know that Earth was at war with the Dilgar—a war which they won!—and that the Dilgar are notorious even now for the atrocities they committed. You’d think Franklin would at least know what they looked like, especially considering that xenobiology is one of his specialties. This was a pretty clunky way to prompt the exposition.

Favorite scene: The scene where Jha’dur explains her true purpose in giving the serum away. I’ll quote it: “Your kind takes blind comfort in the belief that we are monsters. That you could never do what we did. The key ingredient in the anti-agapic cannot be synthesized. It must be taken from living beings. For one to live forever, another one must die. You will fall upon one another like wolves. It will make what we did pale by comparison. The billions who live will be a testimony to my work, and the billions murdered to buy that immortality will be the continuance of my work. Not like us? You will become us. That's my monument, commander.” As in the rest of the episode, Sarah Douglas does a fantastic job of delivering this monologue. There’s so much poison in her voice, and she’s taking a perverse pleasure in revealing this to Sinclair, when she knows he can’t or won’t be able to do a thing about it. And the most chilling aspect to it is the fact that we know she’s right.

Thank goodness for Kosh, right?

[tori-reacts]

my review of jojo’s bizarre adventure: diamond is unbreakable

hi everyone! yesterday i finished part 4 of jojos and it was rly fun so i figured I’d do a little mini review of what i thought!

character analysis

ok so I’m just gonna run through the main cast of characters bc it would take way to long to do everyone haha

1. higashikata josuke

josuke being the main protagonist of part 4 fit so perfectly. i felt like he had a great balance between the two previous jojos, he had the silliness of joseph but could get serious like jotaro in a fight. i would say he ranks number 3 on my favorite jojos protagonists (1 being jotaro and 2 being Joseph) but i did enjoy his character a lot! there were just others in the season that stuck out to me more.

2. nijimura okuyasu

what a lovely jobro. i enjoyed this character so fucking much. i always love the kind of dumb characters and he’s a perfect example LOL. i also just loved seeing his character develop into someone independent from his brother. he also delivered some of the funniest moments in the part.

3. hirose koichi

an adorable boy we must protect. i love koichi sm you guys. echoes 3 is hilarious. this is just an all around great character he’s genuinely a wonderful person and tends to see the best in people. he’s also just so reliable

4. kujo jotaro

ok I’m gonna start my saying I’m so bias towards this man being he is my favorite jojo and favorite character in general. but i did rly enjoy seeing him again in this part. he took a bit of a back seat to let josuke shine, but he still DELIVERED that final blow which I’m gonna talk abt a little later.

5. kishibe rohan

i love this man so much. would do anything for him. beautiful boy. he’s pretty and driven and has a bit of sass. perfect 10/10.

6. joseph joestar

Joseph was a major side character in this one but i did enjoy his usual antics. my opinion of him is a bit lower after the whole cheating on his wife thing, but i feel like the main reasoning was just so araki could introduce another jojo so i try not to think of it too much. but i absolutely love the va in this part, i haven’t done my research but he sounds exactly like kizaru from one piece aka my favorite marine. so that was great. also the way he just TOOK the baby at the end. like oh yeah we couldn’t find the mother (did they even look???) so i just took this thing overseas with me. classic Joseph

7. yamagishi yukako

one of the most interesting characters. female characters aren’t very prominent so far in this series so she was definitely a stand out. and the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. seeing her grow from the obsessive control freak she was in the beginning to a genuinely loving person was beautiful. i throughly enjoyed the redemption episodes with the Cinderella salon. and koichi was just a sweetheart there too.

8. kira yoshikage

phenomenal writing. this man was GENUINELY terrifying. god during that bath scene and the entire sequence of bites the dust genuinely had me just as afraid as little hayato. up until the “when i first saw the Mona Lisa i had an erection” moment, that man did not fail to frighten me. all the past main antagonists being dio and kars had some silliness (in dios case A LOT) so it was easier to not take them seriously but this guy???? wow.

favorite moments

1. the Italian restaurant

fucking hilarious. one of the best episodes of the whole season imo.

2. Joseph buys the entire fucking baby store

god help him

3. the detail of rohan being there the night reimi was murdered

tugged at the heartstrings. also later on when he said he’ll miss her, breaking his arrogant facade. beautiful.

4. Cinderella salon

i mentioned this earlier but i loved this whole episode. the development between koichi and yukako was so much fun to watch.

5. the first encounter with Kira yoshikage

these few episodes were insanely creepy but set the stage for part 4s main antagonist perfectly. Being backed into a corner just to take the identity of another truly just had my adrenaline rushing

6. The bites the dust sequence

as mentioned before, this was just a masterpiece. psychologically terrifying, we are put directly in the POV of hayato and feel every bit of fear and despair he does. May i also say i was absolutely horrified before they revealed this ability bc i truly thought Rohan died.

7. star platinum ZA WARUDO

yeah. this was so needed. the entire final fight i was just dying to see jotaro show up and kick some ass. and when it finally happened it was SO satisfying. ora ora bitch.

8. reimi sends kira straight to hell

UGH I LOVED IT i cant even rly put into words u just need to watch it

andddd that about does it. this is my second favorite part so far, stardust crusaders still has a very special place in my heart. but i enjoyed this season nonetheless. i am about 7 episodes into part 5 now, so when I’m done with that one expect a review!! until then…

[absolutehomosexuals]

Yeah these people do make the fandom experience really boring and downright hostile at times. The fandom is mostly one big echo chamber at the moment. Only certain interpretations and headcanons are allowed and whenever a more unpopular opinion gets traction, no matter how politely it was delivered, people will be downright mean and intolerant, as if they were personally attacked. And if you're mean to them in return they will always play the victim lmao…It's just a game, it's not that deep, they say, yet somehow, they can't play the same game anymore if everyone else doesn't fully interpret or praise it all the time like they do!

I think it's partly because they project themselves onto the characters (and Astarion fans are truly the best example of this, sadly) to such an unhealthy degree that any disagreement is taken as harassment or as a personal attack on themselves as an irl person.

Also, good point about the voice actors. I just hate how creepy some fans have been acting towards them (Astarion fans come to my mind yet again…) and how we must take everything they say as canon, despite the game itself still allowing for different interpretations. Not to mention that these people (the VAs) will always defend the writing of their characters no matter how inconsistent it can be (and sometimes it's not only inconsistent but downright bad and even distasteful) since well, they were paid for it and it would be unprofessional for them to go around criticizing it and saying things that may alienate parts of their fanbase. "But they voiced the characters, how can you pretend to know better than them???" yeah well IDGAF. If something is not the text itself, in the dialogues, it literally doesn't matter. Perhaps direct your complaints at the writers, who should've done a better job? Oh but wait, we can't complain about their writing either since it's not allowed, apparently.

This ask is truly one of the best things I've read regarding this fandom, it's so refreshing to see that normal functional people exist on BG3 Tumblr too.

I've witnessed many fandoms who were incredibly embarrassing to be in, but the state of this one is just... concerning at this point.

The hive mind is the most embarrassing thing about it, you've described how it works perfectly. And I couldn't agree more about your opinion on the voice actors: they all did such great jobs, but the fandom elevated them to the status of creators, when at best they're executioners of the writers' intentions. The way the fandom picks what VA's opinions are canon and what aren't is funny too: Astarion's VA calls the character he plays pansexual and this is evidence of Astarion being pan, but what about Karlach's VA stating that Karlach's lines were acted with a female Tav in mind? I've never seen anyone depicting Karlach being in a relationship with Wyll or Astarion or Dammon being harrassed because "Karlach's VA said she's a lesbian, therefore it's canon!"

Lastly, about BG3 being imperfect and sometimes even bad: we mods love this game so much, there's so many things that are amazing about it, but this doesn't mean that it's perfect. We can feel genuine passion for a piece of media and still recognise its flaws. And BG3, because of its vow to make the player "as free as possible", has many many inconsistencies, and can sometimes be disrespectful to its characters too, since some of the choices you're allowed to make in the game are simply vicious. You can outright rape Astarion by forcing him to be intimate with you when he shows his repulsion about sex. Is every choice valid simply because you're allowed to make it? Is saying that some options are distasteful, that some writing choices are ridiculous or unsettling, not allowed?

-mod Shadowzel

[recappers-delight]

I AM INFURIATED!!!!

But not for the reasons you think.

How many of you watched the She-Ra panel tonight? ACTUALLY WATCHED IT?! Because I did and here's what I saw:

1. "_____ called someone the D slur"

He DID NOT call anyone that word. He used it in the context of announcing a panelist to the show. The word is IN THE TITLE of her podcast. He was literally just stating the title. That's it.

2. "Noelle said Double Trouble would be creepy around kids."

What Noelle said was that to get the inspiration for Flutterina, Double Trouble would have gone to a coffee shop, found a girl to imitate, and stare at her until they got her mannerisms down. Because of the implications here irt trans people and the stereotypes of "creeping on children", this could have been worded better. BUT this whole headcanon was in response to Noelle DEFENDING Double Trouble against the rest of the crew thinking they straight up murdered the real Flutterina. And again, problematic because of larger implications, but on the show Double Trouble IS A VILLAIN. Just because we think they're awesome doesn't mean they're not capable of shady shit. I saw very few people having a problem with this before. Other things they said about DT?

They specifically searched for a non-binary trans activist to voice the role.

Double Trouble was the whole cast's favorite character.

Everyone had a crush on them.

They support DT x Peekablue headcanon and think they should date.

3. "Noelle said Entrapta and Hordak are great representation."

Literally just did not say this. This comment was made by a fan writing in. A fan who, by the way, IS DISABLED THEMSELVES, and was writing in to thank the crew for the rep THEY saw in these characters. Noelle didn't agree or disagree at all. She goes on to give a character analysis about them both, and that's it.

4. "They made Bow's brothers slaves."

No. They didn't. It's a crew inside joke that all of Bow's brother's have pun names that rhyme with "Bow". The brother in question came from one of the other male creators making the joke "which one of Bow's brothers tills the field? Sow." Here's a pic from Noelle about the rest of the brothers.

Because of the complicated history between black people and "farm work" it's best to not make any joke at all like this. It was tasteless and misguided, but hardly a reason to grab pitchforks. Black people have the phrase "whites gonna white" for a REASON. We know there's no such thing as an unproblematic person. Creator or otherwise. Is it still wrong? Yes. Should people strive to do and be better? Absolutely. Should allies listen when POC talk about things that make us uncomfortable, and support us when WE call it out? Please, for the love of God!!! But I do not think the level of backlash the crew-ra is getting is at all warranted.

I understand I do not speak for all black people or lesbians, and I don't speak for ANY of those other groups mentioned and possibly offended, because I am not one of them. However, I felt the need to speak for myself. I am SO SICK of everyone knee-jerk reacting to every little thing that could possibly offend someone. Noelle is not perfect, but she has done a SHIT TON of work for representation and the progression of normalizing queer, inclusive stories to younger audiences. She also went to bat for a diverse cast of characters to be voiced by a diverse cast of VA.

The truly fucked up thing? There was a question someone wrote in about how a cis, straight, white person can respectfully tell the stories of underrepresented and marginalized communities. Noelle then goes on for 5 minutes about how it's difficult, and how it's more important to hold doors open for creators who actually come from those communities to be able to have their own voices heard. And this is the woman you throw flames at? Ridiculous. Our true enemies are able to so easily conquer us, because we so easily divide ourselves.

No one owes allegiance to any one fandom or creator. But we have got to start picking our battles more carefully. If we don't, people will become desensitized to our cries when REAL threats and offenses happen. And white people? PLEASE stop being so outraged at every little "off-color" remark someone makes YOU think might offend ME. I appreciate you wanting to be an ally, but you are drowning out our voices over things that really matter. That's why we get shit like musicians and sports teams changing their "racially insensitive" names, while police are STILL killing unarmed black peple in the streets without repercussions. It shouldn't be an either/or thing, but it often is, so please focus your attention on "canceling" THAT.

TL;DR: Don't just retweet and reblog everything you see without doing your own research and forming your own opinion. Speak out against bigotry, but understand when it's time attack, and when it's time to educate. Stop holding people on so high a pedestal they have no room to grow, and can only fall. Do not speak for, or louder, than the people you say you are standing up for. We can speak for ourselves. Help amplify our voices; DO NOT BECOME OUR VOICES. And finally, because we really do just have so much bigger fish to fry:

[e17omm]

any thoughts on the new flame chasers :D?

Can is the best. I love her. Best character. (Sorry Stan, you've been dethroned!)

Pardo is the best out of the new ones. Most dynamic one, funny voicelines ("You still havent paid me!") and the way she just casually speaks to Vill-V about how Vill-V's order is done and if Vill-V can leave a message for Vill-V so she can take care of it when she comes back, or how she is actually very weak and Mei was surprised that it wasn't an act (she also sounds absolutely terrified at times, "I cant do that! The other flame-chasers would demolish me!!" is just mwah, amazing VA work).

And Vill-V is the most interesting one, they seem to be involved with a lot of stuff in the PE and she is rather interesting herself. VA did an incredible job too!

Aponia creeps me out whenever she speaks more than five words at once. It's just... I don't like it. With her absolutely overpowered psychic powers and the way she speaks just creeps me out. Great VA work, but in a creepy way.

Kosma on the other hand is just, I see what they are doing with him, I just think he is basic.

Griseo was the same originally. Small kid that paints. Cool. But learning she paints because she is basically a blank canvas herself? That got more interesting

[the-ferocious-kittyrose]

A Drunk Girl Talks FNAF Security Breach

Okay so, I was never in the FNAF fandom and I haven’t actually played any of the games since 3, but I was always interested in the lore and theories, and recently I’ve been seeing a lot of content about FNAF Security Breach and it sorta reignited my interest in the series.

I watched play throughs and newer lore recap vids to catch up (wow this shit got weird) so I would be able to understand Security Breach, and tbh, I can’t say it helped much, because this story is weird.

Keep in mind I haven’t actually played the game, this is all based on play throughs and lore vids on yt, so I ain’t gonna talk about stuff like game play (though it looks buggy and unfinished) I’m mostly just gonna talk about some aspects of the story.

Keep in mind, I am not a writer, I’m a little wine drunk rn, and this is all my opinion. I ain’t trying to start any shit.

Vanny

The main problem I have with the story is Vanny/Vanessa and her motives, mainly her connection to William Afton. Afton’s story came to a satisfying end in FNAF 6, you don’t need to keep bringing him back (the whole glitchtrap thing is pretty weak).

I think it would be interesting if Vanny was just one of those girls who’s way too into true crime and serial killers, and after reading about Afton, she became obsessed with him. Sorta a parody of all the purple guy simps on the internet.

Vanessa believed that Afton was a misunderstood genius who was cut down in his prime, so she decided she would continue his murderous legacy. She got a job as a security guard at the Mega Pizza Plex, dawned a creepy rabbit costume, and lured children away to their deaths.

She also used her experience as a software programmer to create a virus she could use to manipulate the security system and the animatronics, making it easier for her to carry out her crimes without getting caught.

Idk I feel like I would’ve preferred that to the motive we got. It doesn’t have to be explicitly spelled out either, just small details/easter eggs. Maybe some sorta mini side quests where you find a key that unlocks a locker in the employee area that’s filled with old school fnaf stuff and creepy love letters to Afton. Stuff like that.

I also wish she was in the game more. In her bunny suit, I mean. I clarify that because normal Vanessa isn’t scary in the slightest, just cringy. Not shiting on her VA, but her voice has mega Karen energy.

Gregory

I know Gregory is a kid, but god this kid is annoying. His voice is whiny and irritating (again, not shiting on the VA it’s just my opinion) and the little personality he has is just... not great. It’s possible to make likable kid protagonists, hard but possible.

Nothing Gregory does makes sense. Why was he in Freddy’s stomach at the beginning? We can guess that he was hiding from Vanny/Vanessa, but why did he think that was a good hiding place? And also, Why was he scared of Vanessa? It’s obvious to the player that Vanessa=Vanny, but Gregory doesn’t know that, he just thinks she’s after him and assumes she’s dangerous for no real reason.

I would’ve preferred if Freddy found Gregory hiding in his greenroom after waking up and Gregory is all freaked out saying there was creepy rabbit lady with a knife following him and he had to find somewhere to hide. Freddy tries to help by contacting the security office but is unsuccessful, so he tells Gregory he will escort him to the security office personally.

On the way, Vanny can be seen lurking in the background stalking them through the pizza plex.

Then when they do meet Vanessa, she’s asleep in the office, she casually tells Freddy she’ll take Gregory off his hands and call his parents. Once Freddy’s gone she changes and gets all creepy, she pulls out her bunny mask and Gregory realizes she is the one he’s been running from and a chase ensues and she continues to hunt him through the night.

Animatronics

I really like the animatronics in this game! The new designs for Freddy and Chica are awesome and Roxy and Monty are great new additions!

I also like that we seem to be moving on from the animatronics being haunted to just being insanely advanced AI. I feel like that’s a nice new step.

The thing is, the fact that the Animatronics are so likable kinda works to the game’s detriment, because you have no choice but to destroy most of them.

I think I would’ve been awesome if we at least had the choice to reboot the animatronics and have them help you out. Each of them has different abilities and can access different areas.

Also riding in Freddy is more trouble than it’s worth, he runs out of battery so quick and the mechanic to summon him is so glitchy.

[duuhrayliegh]

Fuck Misogyny

request: Bucky uses his newly gained knowledge of feminism to squash misogynistic interview questions. @ptrs-prkrs

warnings: language, creepy men, feminist!bucky

a/n: hey babes!! i hope this lived up to what you wanted! i couldn’t find the exact video you were referencing but i know what you’re talking about, so i drew inspiration from a few others.

p.s.: my requests and tag lists are open!!

xoxo ray

full m.list

The set up was simple. A long row of fold out tables covered in black fabric, microphones in front of each seat. Black papers were taped to the backs of the microphones with each team member's name. Bucky had told Evie that he wasn’t going to be able to work out with her today because of this so it better be worth it. The PR manager for the team, Amanda, had set everything up. Hired the mediator, notified the press, everything. Ever since they announced that they were going to be hosting an Avenger’s Q&A Panel, the internet quite literally broke.

Of course Bucky had been doing lives on TikTok with the group of five for the past couple of weeks now, so he was becoming quite comfortable in this format. He’s become increasingly active on his social media accounts, gaining more and more followers everyday. Granted, there were still haters, as Freddie called them, but Bucky ignored them for the most part.

Bucky was actually excited for this press meeting. He was finally gaining traction in the media and he knew how to correctly answer their questions. As Amanda had explained, there was going to be several questions from the mediator, tons from the press that they had invited, and then some fan questions as well. They apparently were going to be live streaming the conference on YouTube allowing them to read the comments and questions as it went on.

“Okay, everyone. You have two minutes until we start.” The team was in an empty board room in the Hilton hotel. Tony didn’t want everyone on the compound’s grass because he just had it fixed. Bucky scanned his fellow teammates. It was impossible for everyone to dress for the same event. Steve was wearing a shirt that was almost bursting at the seams with a pair of jeans and sneakers.

Tony was wearing a lovely Tom Ford, three piece, two-button, of course. Natasha and Wanda were wearing ripped jeans and casual tops. Vision was wearing a sweater vest and slacks, Bruce was clad in slacks as well a jacket covering his shoulders. Sam was wearing a button-up shirt and pressed jeans and he couldn’t find Clint anywhere, probably hiding in the rafters again.

Bucky had his iconic leather jacket donning his shoulders, a pair of slightly ripped jeans. His outfit was picked out by Cassie and Penny. “You need to look like you care but like you don’t at the same time.” Is what they said, the phrase made Bucky shake his head. His hair had finally started growing back and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it.

He had gotten help from Evie before he left Cassie’s apartment. She had pulled back the top half, braiding back two sections into the bun at the back of his head. There were pieces dangling in front of his eyes, “to accentuate the facial features, trust me they’ll love it.” Was Evie’s explanation as they pushed him out of the apartment, so he wouldn’t be late.

“Alright guys! They’re calling your names!” The team filed out of the board room and into a large ballroom. Bottles of water were placed beside each placemat. Tony went out first, followed by Steve, then Bruce, Natasha, Clint, Wanda, Vision, Sam and ending with Bucky. They all settled into their seats, Bucky peeled his jacket off himself, placing it on the back of his chair. His black short sleeved shirt highlighted the gold inlays of his vibranium arm.

“Oh, I see we’re showing some muscle today huh, Buck?” Sam teased as Bucky took his seat next to him. Bucky groaned in realization, covering his microphone so it didn’t pick up what he planned to say.

“Good God, is this what it’s going to be like the entire panel? You just bugging the shit outta me?” They shared a laugh making the rest of the members look at the pair. The audience clapped as they were introduced and continued clapping as they assembled before them.

“Thank you. We would like to welcome everyone to the first, of hopefully many, Avenger’s Q&A Panel.” The female mediator, Stacey, read the assigned lines off the sheet on her podium. “We are going to start with questions we curated for the team and then open it up to the members of the press. After that we will turn to our live stream and answer some viewer questions.” The press rustled in their seats, pulling out pens and journals as well as their phones to record. “Okay, starting off with a question directed at the Avengers in general. How are you feeling about coming before the media in this type of format?” Glances were exchanged between the members, not sure on who was going to start.

“I feel that this is a great way for the general public to learn a little bit more about each individual team member.” Vision was the first to respond and Steve added on.

“Yeah, I definitely think that there’s a common misconception that we don’t want to engage with the media or the general public. We do, unfortunately due to the amount of research and training that we are doing behind the scenes, it just goes to the back of our minds.”

“Right. So Tony and Bruce, we all know that you two are geniuses. What are your feelings on expanding the teachings of STEM courses to not only high school, but as far back as elementary school or even kindergarten?” The pair thought about the question before answering.

“Well, I definitely think that offering STEM-based classes at a younger age would be beneficial, especially if we were to allow the kids to continue to switch what they want to focus on.” Bruce started. “It’s incredibly anxiety-inducing for teenagers to have to decide what they’re going to do with their life right before they are thrust into an unforgiving world.”

“Yeah, I’ll never understand why we do that to our future leaders, it’s honestly baffling. Why do American schools wait until high school to require our children to learn foriegn languages, they aren’t going to retain that information. The same applies for such comprehensive courses like STEM-based ones. If you wait until their brains are already developed so far, then they’ve already decided what they think is interesting and if they don’t find those courses interesting then they aren’t going to pay attention.” Tony finished Bruce's thought before nodding to each other smugly, obviously proud of themselves for answering the question so well.

“Interesting that you see it that way. This last one goes out to everyone and then we’ll open it up to the reporters. How do you deal with the stress and anxiety that comes with being an Avenger? Do you feel a certain amount of pressure to always do the right thing?” Stacey shuffled her papers, tapping them twice on the podium.

“We all have our own routines and ways that we decompress after missions so that really just depends on the person. Like I think that Bruce listens to opera music, and Wanda mediatates, Tony tinkers. It depends on the person.” Natasha answered concisely, making Bucky nod his head. He could recall all of those things to be true.

“Oh definitely, and it doesn’t hurt that we have a former VA Trauma Counselor on board to help us work through the harder stuff.” Steve added a gesture of his head to Sam.

“Speaking of that Sam, just a quick question before we open it up. How difficult was it for you to transition from regular Air Force missions to Avenger level missions?” Sam made a face at Stacey before answering.

“Um, I mean, it’s not that different. You’re always fighting one of the Big Three-- aliens, androids, or wizards, no matter what department you’re working with. The only transition I had to deal with was the Tony Stark-erized suits. Now that I think of it, Tony, can we make it tighter?” Sam quipped making the room laugh with ease.

“Alright, well now we’re going to open it up to the reporters. Starting with this gentleman in the front and then if we could also give a microphone to someone on that side of the room. Okay, thank you.” The first reporter stood up, holding the microphone in one hand and his phone in the other.

“Hello. John from Huffington Post. The Avengers inspire almost everyone around the world, so we would like to know who inspires you? Who do you look up to in terms of your idols?” He sat back down as the team contemplated their answers.

“Gandhi.” Bruce said, Tony snapped his fingers and pointed at him then added. “Pepper, she’s so amazing.” Steve looked down to Bucky, who shrugged.

“I would probably have to say that my sister, Sarah, inspires me. She raised her two sons, Cas and AJ, by herself after the Blip and was able to keep the family business going.” Sam’s answer made Bucky smile. Sam had brought him to their house in Delacroix, he remembered waking up to Cas and AJ playing in the kitchen, happy giggles filtering through reminding him of his time in Wakanda. By the time that Bucky had refocused on the conversation they had moved on without his answer. Several different questions went by, all directed to the team at large, until Chad.

“Hi, I’m Chad for the Daily Mail. My question is for Wanda and Natasha.” The pair of women perked up, excited to have a specific question. “Do you find that your equipment hinders you in doing your job as well as your male counterparts?” Stunned expressions settled over the womens faces, then annoyance. Bucky’s brows shot up to his hairline, appalled that someone had the balls to ask that. Wanda and Natasha handled the question with grace and much more restraint than Bucky would have.

“Well for me, I am able to move things with my mind so I can throw things randomly at people even if I’m not in the room. I’ve been very fortunate to work with Natasha who has Widow training, so my hand to hand combat is improving immensely. And being able to work with Princess Shuri in Wakanda to learn how to fully control my powers. It’s an ever evolving process that I’m always excited to take on.” Bucky nodded and turned his attention to Natasha.

“My favorite thing is training with either Steve or Bucky because they push me to do my best. We all have our specialties here and it’s nice to learn new skills or improve old ones with people who support you.” Natasha sat back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest, throwing daggers with her eyes at Chad in the audience, waiting for him to say something else. Chad stood again, yelling so he could be heard over the crowd’s commotion.

“That’s great, ladies, but forgive me, you didn’t answer the question I asked.” Bucky pushed forward in his seat, leaning into his microphone.

“I’m sorry, I think I misunderstood what you asked them then. I would like for you to clarify what you mean by equipment.” Chad balked, not expecting a male’s voice to respond.

“You know what’s implied by equipment, sir.” Bucky’s jaw clenched at the man.

“Did you just ask two of the most capable women that I’ve ever known, if their equipment, which I’m assuming you’re referring their breasts, made it to where they couldn’t do their job as good as the rest of their male counterparts. Just to be clear, that’s what you’re asking?” Chad stuttered as he answered yes.

“Right, well first off that’s disgusting. Just a bit of background for you, Wanda is the strongest Avenger here, plain and simple. As for Natasha, she’s the smartest woman I’ve ever met and she can take down every single male here.” Bucky took a breath before continuing. “So, what I think you really want to know is how they encourage their teammates to keep up with them.” He dropped his head to look at the two women down the line.

“Don’t worry Chad, I’ll ask them the right question, since you can’t quite seem to understand how to respect women.” The team was holding back snickers at Chad’s reaction. “Wanda, Natasha. Chad wants to know how the hell you push your male teammates to be just as good as you are. What are your strategies to keep us on our toes while training?” Claps sounded from the women press members and Bucky awaited the pair's response. The next press member stood and asked a question.

“Hi, I’m Chloe from Vanity Fair. This question goes to everyone on the panel.” Bucky settled in for another question that didn’t matter. “How do you continue to be aware of things happening in our society today? Do you keep up-to-date through new channels, or social media?” The answers were rather generic from the team, all of them rather uncomfortable from the tension that Bucky and Chad had created. Stacey interrupted after Chloe’s question.

“Okay, we’re going to open it up to viewer questions from our live stream.” An iPad was placed on the podium in front of Stacey and her eyebrows rose. “Okay, there’s quite a variety here. Here’s one for Steve and Bucky.” Bucky perked up, nervous to answer because his adrenaline had worn off.

“One viewer asks, ‘Steve and Bucky, being from the 40’s, women were treated like second thoughts and were talked about like objects. Now, you’re in the 21st century, not much has changed. What have you been doing to support feminist causes?’”

“I just want to say that everyone should be answering this. It’s true that during the 40’s women were not treated the right way, and they still aren’t today. An 18 year old can’t walk down the street at nine o’clock at night without being catcalled. I am a proud feminist, as everyone should be. I think that as a team we are doing pretty well in that department. As far as what I’m doing to support feminist causes, I’m doing as much as I can. I actually recently enrolled in online classes to expand my knowledge on many subjects, seeing as how I am from the 40’s and all.” The crowd laughed along with Bucky.

“Almost all of my classes have to do with either psychology or gender studies, it’s a fascinatingly haunting subject. One book that I’m reading right now was suggested to me by my friend Cassie, it’s called Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot. The author doesn’t let up and I’m only halfway through it. Look, I’m still educating myself, but I’m a strong believer in doing what is right for everyone, so I’m trying. Thankfully I have a few people keeping me in check as far as my actions.” Bucky thought his response was well thought out for being an on the fly question. He was new to the concept of feminism but that didn’t change the fact that it made total sense.

“I’m with Bucky on this. The 40’s were a rough time. I remember the first time I met Peggy Carter, I was astonished that a woman could be in such a powerful position. One of the first things she did after I met her was punch out someone who made a sexual comment to her. I’ve been supporting feminist causes ever since working with Peggy.” Steve added, a sad smile spreading on his face reminiscing Peggy.

“This one says, ‘As a total fan of all of you, I love seeing what you post on your social media accounts. When are the rest of the Avengers going to follow Bucky’s lead and download TikTok?’” Bucky’s head flew back into a full body laugh. Tony shifted forward in his seat, pointing his finger at the laughing man down the table.

“I would just like to say he didn’t get that approved before doing it. However, it did go over really well, so we’ll consider it.” Wanda’s mouth rolled inwards, stifling her laughter.

“We’ll consider it, you’re such an old man. Most of us have TikTok already, we just don’t make content on it like Barnes over here.” Sam said, tossing his head in Bucky’s direction.

“I’ve got like three videos on there!” Bucky and Sam began bantering back and forth.

“Yeah and one of them is dancing to a Cardi B song! Who even showed you that? I thought you only like 40’s music?” Bucky made a face at the man.

“Uh, just because I didn’t like your suggestions for music doesn’t mean I don’t have taste. My Spotify playlist is filling out quite nicely, Wilson.” Bucky and Sam didn’t quit fighting from then on, just little jabs at each other under the table.

“Here’s a good one,” Stacey had a smile on her face, “Are you allies of the LGBTQ+ community?” Bucky responded quickly with no hesitation.

“Yes, many of my friends are members of the Alphabet Mafia. Why wouldn’t we be?” Wanda nodded at his question, laughing at his use of the phrase Alphabet Mafia.

“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I’m dating a fucking android, I’d be pretty hypocrictal if I wasn’t an ally. Nat, Clint what about you?” Clint bobbed his head in response.

“Oh yeah. We all are, even the Star Spangled Man with a Plan.” Steve’s shoulders shook with laughter at Clint’s nickname for him. The team broke out into laughter, joining Steve. Stacey cleared her throat, commanding the attention of the room again.

“Alright, everybody! That’s it for today.” She glanced down at her papers. “We would like to thank everyone for coming out today and joining the Avengers Q&A Panel. At this time we are unaware, if we will be conducting another one of these, but the odds look good based on the response.” The team filed out of the ballroom and into the empty boardroom. Bucky was the last to get into the room and he was approached by Natasha and Wanda immediately. Wanda wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug.

“That was so sick, Bucky!” She stepped back and Natasha offered him a side hug as well. “Where’d you learn all that? And since when are you taking online classes?”

“That guy was being an asshole, he needed to be put in his place. I hope you guys didn’t feel like I overstepped or anything.” Bucky hung his arm over Wanda’s shoulder, leaning his weight on her. “And I started about two months ago. They’re going really well, I’m learning a lot and enjoying it surprisingly. It’s a good thing to do in my free time since I’m not always on missions.”

“I’m proud of you James, that was impressive.” Natasha complimented him, she wasn’t usually a woman of many words so that was a lot. Bucky smiled at her, nodding his head. His phone began buzzing in his back pocket, so he excused himself from their conversation. His screen displayed one of Evie’s senior pictures, signalling that she was calling him. He pushed the green button and brought the phone to his ear to answer her call.

“Hello?” She ignored his greeting with a squeal.

“Check your Twitter! Bucky, you’re trending! Here I’m putting you on speaker, we’re all here Buck!” Shuffling noises were heard through the speaker as Evie began reading the tweets to Bucky. Laughs from Cassie, Freddie and Penny could be heard behind Evie’s voice.

“Oh my gosh Eve! Just let the man get back to what he was doing!” Freddie yelled at an excited Evie, who retaliated with a scoff.

“Okay, okay! Just remember we have a movie night tomorrow! It’s Penny’s turn to pick so we don’t know what to expect.” Evie mumbled the last part into her phone speaker. Bucky heard the impact of a pillow hit Evie, causing her to grunt in pain. “Okay! We’ll talk to you later, Buck! See you soon!” She hung up the phone before he could get a word in edgewise. Bucky shook his head as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. Amanda approached Bucky asking to speak with him privately.

“So we’re getting a flood of interview requests from networks and papers. We would like to start running with this. We’ll have to go over everything with our PR guy, Ryan, but it should work out. As long as you’re comfortable with all of this.” Bucky smiled and nodded, following after Amanda as she continued explaining what would happen going forward.

He was nervous, of course, but he could tell these nerves were coming from a place of excitement instead of fear, which was a new sensation for the man. It wasn’t unwelcome, it was the same as when he first started hanging out with Cassie, Penny, Freddie and Evie. It was the same when he went on his first mission with the team. Bucky was ready to tackle this next adventure, whatever it would entail.

[maxwell-grant]

So you've talked about how you think the best route for pulp heroes is anime. With that in mind: who would be the best Japanese VA to play The Shadow?

I haven't found many choices to go with but I've got two I think could work really well. The first and most obvious here I think is Jouji Nakata.

He's considered to be one of the industry's most iconic voices for deep-voiced villains along with Norio Wakamoto, and he's already voiced characters with more than a couple of similarities to The Shadow in Alucard and The Count of Monte Cristo. I think this works primarily as the big superstar casting choice, one that works super well to sell the idea of The Shadow as a hero with a villain's charisma, a convincingly scary and enigmatic figure to center a world around. He's the go-to voice for The Shadow in an anime dub.

But there's another one also that I will vouch for that I think could work really well in a more specific way, and that's Hiroshi Shirokuma, who I only really know through Beastars and to explain my reasoning i'm gonna post this clip

The thing that impresses me the most about Shirokuma's performance here, especially when you compare it side-by-side with Patrick Seitz doing the same character (and with zero disrespect to Seitz who's great as usual), is that Shirokuma's able to convincingly play a character who's this giant, unsurmountable force, this horrific and powerful villain, while barely raising his voice above a whisper most of the time, not making any effort whatsoever to deepen his voice. It goes a long way into selling not just how creepy Riz is but also how strong he is, because he doesn't need to put on a voice.

And one thing a lot of adaptations of The Shadow forget or ignore is that, most of the time, his speaking voice is described as a whisper, creepy and quiet, but forceful and commanding. It makes a great contrast to how over-the-top he can be visually and theatrics-wise, in that you might expect him to be loud and forceful constantly because he's known for cackling loudly while firing guns, but no, he doesn't need to raise his voice when talking to you, because you can hear that sepulchral hiss reverberating inside of your head no matter where you go. I think this contrast is one aspect of the pulps that has been extremely underutilized and I would like to see it emphasized again.

[razberryyum]

Scumbag System (SVSSS donghua) episode 7 Thoughts (spoilers)

(covers SVSSS chaps 16 - 19, BC Novels Translations)

I love everything about Bingge--his gorgeous good looks, his beautiful ensemble, his deliciously intimidating aura--everything, except for his voice. Yes, still his voice, which I must regretfully and heartbreakingly say is doing nothing for me at all. When I lamented about his voice and voice performance last episode, people were telling me to basically just wait until he grows up, until post-Abyss, that he'll sound better then. But I actually remember that we already heard a bit of his voice in the PVs, and I already had misgivings then; hearing him now in this episode, only cemented my opinion if it. I know he only uttered a line, but it still was enough to reaffirm my doubts. His voice lacks the OOMPH quality that I dreamed of for Bingge. I think his VA was going for creepy, but I wanted the kind of creepy that was more seductively menacing...the type that makes my knees weak. I didn't feel anything and that just bums me F out. I love Binghe so much, I wanted everything about him to be perfect. He deserves/demands perfection, dammit.

Again if you think he sounds great, more power to you! I wish I felt the same, I really do.

Although I do want to say his VA's work during the mom scenes was solid. I actually teared up.

Even as Bingmei I think his voice is a scooch too soft most of the time, but it does work the best during vulnerable moments like this.

Per usual, I loved all the BingQiu interaction in the ep. There was so much TOUCHING!

And of course there was that scene from the credits which I still cannot believe exists:

They created a freaking rainbow ffs. How cute is that??

Although I was surprised that they downplayed the moment in the book when SQQ promised to take care of Binghe (from chap 18):

"Shen Qingqiu smiled and said: “However, you don’t need to dwell on it too much. If you have no way of becoming strong, I’ll be by your side and protect you.”....Shen Qingqiu didn’t mind at all taking him under his wing and taking care of him for a lifetime...the affection in these words seemed too much. After the tide of warm feelings slightly subsided, a hot sensation quickly climbed up Luo Binghe’s face."

Pretty significant emotions involved but all we got in the donghua was:

...and we didn't even get to see Binghe's reaction. I know they can't show us all the love but they already did so much...funny what they choose to hold back on sometimes.

Also, I appreciated the contrasting versions of BingQiu they gave us at the beginning of the episode versus the end:

Of course I love all versions of BingQiu but seeing Bingge interacting with either version of SQQ--original goods Shen Jiu or Shen Yuan--is exciting. We probably won't get another scene this season so I can only look forward to seeing more of Bingge harassing SQQ next season.

Lastly, the dream demon. Um. He's an old man as expected. Was hoping they'd change that up and give us someone who looks like Zangetsu from Bleach, but that's just me being a superficial idiot.

[winter-fox-queen]

The Open Road is Full of Hope

Summary:  Marcus Pike goes on a road trip.  He meets you at Monument Valley.

This is for @autumnleaves1991-blog ‘s wonderful Writer Wednesday.  

Warnings:  Partly gender neutral, but the “you” is a woman and Marcus refers to her as such.  Just a story -- a little angst, a little introspection, a little silliness.  No smut.

He couldn’t believe how quiet it was.  He had found a place to camp overlooking Monument Valley, and the sun was setting over the Mittens...the two famous rock formations he felt like he’d seen in every western his father had made him watch as a kid.

He’d been binge watching tv a lot, since moving to DC, keeping his mind off…things.  He’d been watching Westworld, and falling in love with the scenery.  It’s been a bit, since Teresa has left him, but he wasn’t ready to do anything.  See people.  He didn’t feel like himself, but more like a broken doll thrown in a corner.

So, the idea of taking some time, renting a car, doing the Great American Road Trip started to appeal.  He’d always hoped to do it with someone — travel was always so much better when you had someone else to share it with.  But instead, he played a lot of music, let the miles pass.  Let himself just be.  Maybe he’d heal.  Maybe he’d be able to look in the mirror and understand the man he saw there, again.  It was helping.  Mostly.  

“Like something out of a movie, isn’t it?” A voice asked softly.  Marcus looked over, and saw the woman who had pulled into the campsite next to his a few hours earlier.  She had a van, and she had the back doors open, sitting on the bed.  The van back was aimed just slightly towards him, and he could see you clearly.

“It is.”  He said, and smiled back.  

You were pretty.  This was the first time he had really allowed himself to look at you.  He couldn’t think of any questions that wouldn’t be creepy...you didn’t ask a woman traveling alone where she was going or why she was here...so he said, “I’m going to start a fire soon.  If you like you are always welcome to join.”  The night was promising to become chilly.  He was already thinking about pulling on a jacket.

“I might,” you said, so he stacked the wood and tinder the way he’d been taught as a boy, and since the wood he’d bought at the camp store was good and dry, it started easy.  Soon he was sitting on the ground next to the fire, beer on the ground next to him, staring at the fire.  

You shut the doors on the back, and he thought, that’s probably for the best.  I am probably not the best company.

He heard the far side door slide open, and after a bit you came around the van with a box.  “So, I’ve never had s’mores—you have a fire, I have s’more making stuff...want to trade the use of your fire for food?”

“You’ve never had s’mores?  Ever?”  He laughed at your solemn nod.  “Next you’ll tell me you’ve never been trick or treating..”

“Nope, never.  I lived down a dark road and no one ever wanted to go near us, and my father wasn’t much into the idea of it.”  You sit next to him, the box of supplies between you, and hand him a paper plate, followed by a hot dog fork.

He raised an eye brow.  “For the marsh mellows.  They came in a two pack.”  You mutter, and he smiles.  

“Oh!  I forgot…”  You say, and introduce yourself, holding out your hand.  Marcus balances the paper plate on his knee so he can take it.  “Marcus.”

You look at him like he’s a co-conspirator.  “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Well, if you allow me?”  He broke up the graham crackers in about the right size, put a square of chocolate on each, then put a marshmallow on a fork. You did the same, roasting a marshmallow over the fire.  

Marcus found himself studying you out of the corner of his eye.  He liked how calm you were.  Outside of being beautiful, you had something that kept making him look, really look at you.

He held up the sides of the cracker for you to slide the marshmallow between.  “Now hold it until the chocolate melts,” he says as he does the same for himself.  

“Ooh, excellent.”  You say.  “When do you think it’ll be ready?”

“About now, probably.”  The simple happiness in your eyes as you take a bite calls to something inside of him.  He feels a little lighter.

You chew.  Wince a little.  

“Well?”  He says, before taking a  bite of his own.

“I’m not sure how I feel about it. Is this how its supposed to taste?”

He nods.  It’s sweet, it’s chocolaty, and pretty perfect.  You take another experimental taste.  “Is this, like an acquired taste?  Like beer?”

Marcus finds himself laughing. “Well, if you don’t like it…”  He holds out his hand for the rest and you shake your head.

“No, no, I’ll finish it, at least I can mark it off my bucket list.”

“You have one of those?”  He busies himself making another.  

“Yes.  See Monument Valley.  Eat Smores.  Introduce myself to a handsome stranger…”  You grin at him.  

“Ah.  Are you settling for strange rather than handsome?”

You glare at him and grab some chocolate.  “You are definitely handsome.  Strange, well.  That would be all the better.  Normal is boring, and strange is awesome…unless it’s serial killer strange.  Are you a serial killer?”

“Not unless you count cockroaches.”

“Ah, that’s a relief.  But you should know I sleep with bear spray.”

“You’re safe, with or without it,” he says gently.  

“That’s because I fed you,” You say sagely.

You both let the silence settle. Marcus skips the smores making and just roasts marshmallows.  You steal them because he’s better at roasting them than you are.  

You like that he doesn’t mind, that he smiles, though the smile does not always reach his eyes.  

“What’s on your list?”

Marcus fiddles with the hot dog fork.  “I don’t have one.”  You tilt your head at him and he shrugs.  “My bucket list was always based on the person I was with.  What I thought they wanted.  I always wanted to be a good man.  A good boyfriend.  A good husband.  So I tried to find out what they wanted and make it happen.”

“And you lost yourself.”

Marcus nodded, staring at the fire as if it held all the answers.  He was letting it die down, now, it was more coals than anything else.  “I did.”

You nod.  “I’ve done that.  But here we are.  In the middle of nowhere.”

He looks up, lets his eyes adjust. “I was going to make a comment about the stars, but there’s not a one in sight.”

“Ah, well.  Maybe tomorrow.”  You talk for a little while longer.  Marcus thinks about asking for your number, but he’s not sure if he’s ready.  His heart feels like a rotten piece of fruit, bruised and pulpy.  It doesn’t feel like much of anything to offer.

You gather up your stuff.  “Goodnight, Marcus.  See you down the road.”

“Night,” he says softly, and the moment is gone.  He regrets it, as he douses the fire and takes his folding toothbrush and tooth paste to the restroom, where he gets ready for the night.  When he comes back out, the wind has picked up a bit.  He checks the firepit one more time, then crawls into his tent.  His last thought, as he falls asleep, is if you like pancakes.  There’s a nice place to eat not far away…

He wakes up to thunder, the wind rocking his tent.  He listens to the rain pelt the nylon, the wind and the rain combined are hard enough that when the wind is right, he can feel sprinkles of rain come up under the rain fly and through the webbing. He crawls deeper into the sleeping bag, grateful that, because the tent is so small he keeps most of his hear in the car, including his clothes.

Marcus contemplates going and sitting in the car, trying to sleep.  The backseat, even the passenger seat are loaded because the rental place had given him the world’s smallest car, so he wasn’t looking forward to that…

And then he heard s snap.  He got a face full of tent , and then a face full of rain water as the rain fly flew off, waving in the air like a white flag.

“Fuck!”  He fought his way around, trying to find the keys.  He knew where he’d put them, but when he found the wall pocket, it was empty.  The tent was now completely on top of him, rain pouring in.  He found the zipper and pulled it down.

“Marcus?”  Your feet, sloshing through the puddles.  

Marcus took your hand and allowed himself to be pulled from the wreckage of the tent.  He zipped it shot again, for what good it would do him.

“Take this cooler and use it to weigh down your tent.”  You’d been dragging a cooler behind her. It was heavy, with a heavy lock.  

“I gotta find my keys…do you have a light?”

“Honey, just come back to the van. We’ll find the keys when the storm is over.  We need to get you dry and warm.”

He runs after you to the van, jumps up in and shits the door as quickly as he can to keep the monsoon outside. You shed your rain coat and hang it up. Grin at him.  “What an adventure, heh?”

He takes a moment to look around the van.  It’s nice. Small, but neat.  

“Let me get you something to wear…”  You point to some bins over head.  “There’s some towels in there, could you get them out?”

You pull out a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt.  “You’re a little broad shouldered…but I like my tee shirts large, so…and these were left by a friend, they might fit.”

You turn around, start stripping. Marcus does the same, facing the windshield.  The storm was still raging, he was able to strip, dry himself, and dress again by lighting light.  The light show on the horizon was truly impressive, and he was grateful to be inside a vehicle, even if the van sometimes rocked and shifted a little in the wind.  He’s starting to shiver, despite being dried off. He was grateful he wasn’t trying to do this in the car.

“OK, it’s safe to look,” you tell him.  “Go ahead and drape your stuff over the passenger seat…it’s not real leather.  I’m going to turn up the heater, you look like you can use it.”

“Thanks for letting me in…I would have gone for the car…”

“And froze to death.”  You say.  “I’d rather you in here.  Do you need anything?  Tea?”

Marcus shakes his head.  “You’ve done enough.  You are my angel.”

“You’ll be even more grateful when you realize I have an electric blanket on my bed...yay for solar batteries!” You use a step stool to gt up onto the platform bed that dominates the back of the van.

“I…I can sleep in the driver’s seat.”

“I only have these blankets, and your blankets are soaking wet…can you be a gentleman?”

He sighs.  “Yeah.  Of course I can.  I just…”

“I’m a practical woman.” You say.  “Though, I do have a request.  You don’t have to.  But if you’d like…”  

He got up on the platform. The mattress was surprisingly comfortable.  He looks at you.  “Sure, anything.”

“If it’s a beautiful day tomorrow, and the sunrise is bright and lovely, that you don’t just leave without saying goodbye.  Kiss me. Kiss me in the sunrise before you go.” He reached out and cupped your face gently.  “I promise,” he said.  “Was that on your bucket list?”

You lean into his hand a moment. “No.”  You smile, and turn so you can lay down facing the back doors.

Marcus had looked up what time the sun was set to rise when he’d checked the weather that morning.  He set his watch to wake him up, before slipping his feet into the pre-warmed bed.

It’s a classic story, he thinks, as he allows how comfortable and peaceful he feels laying next to you to sweep him into sleep.

A man goes, finds himself in the desert, but more importantly, he finds you along the way.

[metaldragoon]

@justsuha​ filled this out, and I felt like doing the same.  Kinda felt they didn’t have the best categories so maybe I shouldn’t have bothered, also tried not being too repetitive with my picks. Favourite Game - Final Fantasy VI, this was an easy one for me.  One of the first games I ever played, then I came back to it around like 12-14 years old and it was the first game I ever played on an emulator, then it was one of the first games I ever watched an LP on, one of the first game I ever started playing with mods, and yeah, I’ve just played this game a lot in my life. Best Story - Mass Effect (1), could’ve gone with FFVI again but eh, and maybe Hollow Knight but I feel like the world building in ME1 is crazy-deep and unparalleled.  Maybe that’s not story in like a “plot” sense, but it’s what I settled on. Favourite Art Style - Killer7, was a comfortable pick but Persona 5 is also a really crisp game.  Also thought about other things that are more atmospheric like Metroid Prime, Hollow Knight, or Bloodborne. Favourite Soundtrack - Final Fantasy VI, like I said, didn’t want to be repetitive, so there was games that had like a banger of a track like Papers, Please, or something like Super Meat Boy, but I couldn’t really justify anything being equal to FFVI.   Hardest Game - Dragon Age: Origins, Felt like a Soulsborne game was the “gimme” answer so I wanted to swerve a bit.  DA:O is hard as fuck, if you’re not optimizing your build you’re not beating that game.  Even on “easy” I’m like chill man Funniest Game - Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door, was tempted to go Undertale but since that’s kind of just a parody game I feel like it had a lot more liberties it could take to still be funny.  TTYD is super funny while still being like it’s own game. Game I like that everyone hates - Gears of War 2, some kid in Gr. 11 said I should get a 360 and play that, and so I did.  I played the online mode so much, but it never really felt like a popular competitive game.  I liked being so beefy, it’s basically just one-shotting people with shotguns is the meta and so the whole stalking someone to close the gap to be in range was super fun to me.  Campaign kinda trash and my friend wanted to get an achievement for co-op beating it on the hardest difficult that was miserable for me, but I think it’s a really fun game to play with some great audio too, the SFX are top notch. Game I hate that everyone likes - Borderlands, hate is a strong word but man I don’t really care about this game at all and people have been hyping it up for a decade. Underrated Game - Catherine, all my irl friends I tell about this game don’t know what it is, until I remind them and they go “oh yeah, that game looked weird/was too hard.” don’t know anyone who’s actually played more than an hour of it.  It’s one of my all-time faves, though. Overrated Game - Breath of the Wild, my wife says I didn’t give it a “fair shake” but I played like 20 hours and zzz... was tempted to go with a Pokemon game too, but it’s more a franchise in general than a specific game. Best Voice Acting - Yakuza Kiwami, I didn’t really have any real opinions on a game having good voice acting; generally they don’t.  Yakuza is all VA’d in Japanese so that’s probably why, but it felt pretty cool and was the only thing that I could think of actively enhanding a VG experience.  Maybe shoulda gone GTA (3 or San Andreas), both are really dated and definitely don’t sound that good anymore but one of my favourite games to listen to dialogue from. Worst Voice Acting - Metroid: Other M, not bad in terms of the actual talent of the VA’s but damn if it doesn’t ruin everything about Samus as a character.  “REMEMBA ME?!” Favourite Male - Kazuma Kiryu, was tempted to go General Leo from FFVI, but couldn’t find an image big enough before I resized this, which I could have easily worked around, but I also really like the Dragon of Dojima! It’s weird because he seems like such a simple design but he’s just badass in the right way, and I don’t know why more games can’t get it right.   Favourite Female - Franziska von Karma, from the 2nd Ace Attorney game.  For some reason had a huge crush on her, when I was younger I even drew some fanart of her which I ain’t done for nobody but her and Broly. Favourite Protagonist - Samus Aran, wanted to go with a “franchise” character and Samus is always super cool (except in Other M), I’ll always be excited to play her in some new game.   Favourite Village - Kakariko Village, felt like kind of a weird question, ‘cuz like if it was favourite area or something, I could have put some other stuff (Greenpath in Hollow Knight for example), and being a village I feel like basically limits you to medieval games but not the main hub either as that’s “a city.”  But Ocarina of Time’s Kakariko Village is always really fun to roll in to, also thought of the Goron Village, or just any village in Secret of Mana because that village theme is soo good. Most Hated Character - Nathan Drake, have barely even played Uncharted, but I just always hate any character with his personality, and he’s the biggest and most well-known.  Maybe he’s fine but meh. First Game You Played - Super Mario World, can’t say for 100%, but this and Super Mario Kart were games I was playing a lot since at like 4 or 5 my older brother owned them and they’re the most baby friendly.  Also remember playing a lot of PC games that my dad had, Timon and Pumba pinball, Chip’s Challenge, Ski Free, and stuff like that.  Skunny Kart Racing for DOS but I never understood how to get to DOS. Favourite Company - Bioware, I don’t really care about gaming companies in general, but Mass Effect and DA:O are some of my favourite games.  I might say Square as well but they do a lot of stuff.   Hated Company - Ubisoft, don’t hate them all but I just feel like they only make games I have zero interest in. Depressing Game - Doki Doki Literature Club, this and creepy are kinda really similar I feel, but I went DDLC but I kinda forget how it even ends.  I just remember feeling bummed about the purple and pink haired girl, and then the Monika scene just being uncomfortable (in a good way). Creepy Game - Doom3, don’t really play creepy games, Doom3 was suspenseful so I don’t know if that counts.  I had it for like 2 years, played it once for like 10 hours straight, and never played it again.  Still lives in my head. Happy Game - Super Meat Boy, is this a happy game? I don’t know, I feel like it’s got a pumped up energy which I equate to happiness.  It’s fun and the music makes it really addictive. Favourite Ending - Metal Gear Solid, don’t really have a great answer to this.  I really like Meryl and Snake riding off on their snowmobile though.