#RAMBLE RAMBLE BASICALLY: these jokes are within the first 7 movies or so 5 being the zenith then reducing down and down. by movie 8 it's sa

[ducktracy]

reminder that if you're not watching Crayon Shin-chan then you are living a hollow and empty life. this is not edited. this ripped straight from the movie (Movie 8: Jungle That Invites the Storm, highly recommend for fellow Masaaki Yuasa lovers)

if you need further convincing: these monkeys run an animation sweatshop

[kvtyes]

↪ brief introduction to katye jakobson.

BASICS

full name: katye terhi jakobson.  nickname(s): kat, kit-kat ( used largely by her brother to irritate her ).  age: thirty-three.  date of birth: 19 february 1988. zodiac sign: pisces.  place of birth: tallinn, estonia.  ethnicity: white.  nationality: estonian.  gender: cis female. sexual orientation: pansexual.  romantic orientation: panromantic.  religion: she was raised orthodox catholic— she had a confirmation and all but in her adulthood she’s never practiced all that much; the most she does is go to confession on occasion but even then her brother more or less has to put her in a choke hold to get her to do it. occupation: when she’s not being bogged down by royal duties she’s an architect -- her usual projects tend to be renovations to the palace in talinn or their country homes outside of the city.  language(s) spoken: estonian, finnish, english; greek & turkish ( both of which she’s started learning on her own now that she’s been told she’ll be marrying selene if all goes to plan -- she’s not fluent by any means but she learns things quickly ).  accent: she has a fairly thick estonian accent that can and has been mistaken as german or other slavic & finnic based accents which kat tends to roll her eyes at. she tries to enunciate fairly carefully when she’s speaking but when she’s excited or rambling about something in particular her accent can make it a bit difficult to understand her.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

face claim: evan rachel wood.  hair color: blonde ( naturally ); she’s dyed it several colors over the years and at the moment it’s more red than anything.  eye color: blue. height: 5′7″ ; 173 cm.  weight: 120 lbs. build: slim. tattoos: kat’s debated getting tattoos several times over the years but has yet to follow through with anything -- her main consideration at the moment is a tattoo of a grey wolf, the national animal of estonia.  piercings: she has traditional piercings in her lobes, an industrial piercing in her left ear and a helix piercing in her right ear.  distinguishing characteristics: her accent, the way she carries herself, the fact that she’s almost always got a cigarette tucked behind her ear. 

PERSONALITY

label: the black sheep.  positive traits: capable, clever, compassionate, considerate, creative, curious, daring, dedicated, earnest, empathetic, generous, independent, loyal, observant, passionate, protective, reliable, selfless, warm. negative traits: competitive, irreverent, sarcastic, self-conscious. aloof, anxious, crude, haughty, hedonistic, impulsive, timid. goals/desires: to find a way to be happy, to carve out some freedom for herself even within the confines of royal life, to be the sort of person her fiancée can be proud of.  fears: autophobia ( fear of being alone ), losing her brother.  hobbies: teasing her brother, sketching new designs for buildings she’d like to work on, studying architecture, traveling, drinking, going out when she’s in the mood for it, spending time with people she enjoys, flirting with cute people, making a mess of most political situations she’s in, annoying her parents, learning new things, playing chess, reading, building her collection of obscure mythology books.   quirks: she remembers people’s names and faces after meeting them even if she only interacted with them for a few seconds, she gives the contacts in her phone their names in estonian, she’s constantly doodling thoughts on new designs she’d like to bring to life in a small notebook that’s always with her, she tends to talk shit about people in any language other than english -- usually estonian because that comes the easiest but she’ll happily switch between any language she knows if she knows the other person won’t understand. likes: whiskey, cute girls, cute boys, sci-fi films, historical dramas, most foreign films, trivia shows, horror movies, compliments from cute people, her brother, the anonymity of living in big cities, jazz, classical piano pieces, being recognized for her talent rather than her title, sex, good booze, good food, spending time with people who appreciate her as a person, .   dislikes: being taken seriously only because of her title rather than how hard she’s worked to earn respect in certain areas, dealing with most public relations things, long winded speeches, having to attend political functions in general, being talked down to, arguing with her brother. 

FAMILY

father: artur kalev jakobson ; king artur II, colloquially known as the ‘bear of estonia’.  mother: sofia agnesia jakobson née kask.  sibling(s): kalev taevas jakobson ( fraternal twin ).   pet(s): she has a european burmese cat named antoni after antoni gaudi, the architect.  financial status: too rich for her own good. 

HEADCANONS

katye is thirty-three & the older twin between herself and her fraternal twin brother kalev — who has, as far as she’s concerned, always been the more palatable person between the two of them. in comparison to her brother katye is, to put it lightly, something of a disaster -- she has an endlessly short temper and none of the grace her brother possesses when it comes to political engagements and discussions and has absolutely no problem expressing her general annoyance with all of the politicking that comes along with being royalty. she’s aware that she needs to “grow up” -- so to speak -- and a part of her has continued to wonder whether her marriage arrangement is her parents’ way of forcing her to settle down into a version of herself that might be slightly less ornery and difficult for the general public in estonia to grasp and perhaps, though she finds this more difficult to believe, allow her to realize that in spite of her future as queen -- she can still carve out some form of freedom and individuality within her position.

it’s always suited her to be the more negatively perceived of the two of them between herself and her brother and a part of her -- though katye’s reluctant to admit it -- is relieved that earning as much attention as she does allows her brother -- who is far more gentle and far more shy than she is, to stay out of the spotlight as he chooses. away from cameras and the press in general katye’s not spectacularly difficult to get along with -- she’s witty and charismatic and is likely the first person to toss out a self-deprecating joke or quip to relieve any tension in her day-to-day interactions. the generally surly and cantankerous impression she gives the media as a whole is more of an act than anything else and with a bit of patience and occasional, careful prodding -- it isn’t difficult to see that katye is more or less a deeply flawed but deeply loving and ultimately well-meaning woman.

she has a genius level IQ. It’s not something she discusses often ( for the most part only her family knows, because she’s already treated a certain way due to her status as a princess and honestly abhors the thought of being treated even more differently due to that ). she studied to become an architect when she was in school and was quietly on her way to working with a firm properly by the time she was being relocated. she tends to use her fairly active mind to manipulate her way in and out of situations ( she’s very, very good at talking herself out of trouble and takes full advantage of it when she can ).

she’s a fairly outgoing person underneath the sheen of frustration and general surliness she’s working with right now; she’s an incredibly loyal and kind person at her core, and though it can be difficult for people to stick around long enough to sort out those parts of her she does have a few very close friends who seem to have had no trouble digging down to the heart of her.

she has absolutely no qualms about sleeping with anyone she finds even remotely attractive. she doesn’t quite know how to have a relationship with anyone ( as she’s not sure how to broach the subject of someone actually having to deal with what a train-wreck she is for an extended period of time ) but she craves attention and affection and sex is a decent enough way for her to get that. it’s something she’s trying to avoid entirely now that she’s in the same place as her future wife and as nervous as she is about being found lacking in her fiancée’s eyes she does want to make a positive impression and build a positive, meaningful relationship.

[skekheck]

30 Days of the Dark Crystal Challenge

Decided to do poultry-blocks Dark Crystal challenge because it looks like a lot of fun to do. However I’m cheating and I wrote all of this within a couple of days. Warning: fairly large post with pictures and fan ramblings. 

EDIT: I FORGOT TO INCLUDE DAY 16 WHOOP. It’s in there now. 

Day 1. Your favorite skeksis

Idiot, feral, wildman who stole my heart. How? Why? Who knows. *chef kisses* Beautiful stinky bastard.

Day 2: Your favorite gelfling

Bless her and her skeksis cosplay. What a queen.

Day 3: A character that you love that everyone seems to hate.

The tides are changing for her it seems. I think people are appreciating her more, but she still faces her fair share of controversies. Not that I don’t think it warrants discussion nor am I excusing her actions. But she’s way more complex than what a lot of people are making her out to be.

Day 4: A character that you hate that everyone seems to love. 

Hate is a strong word as I don’t hate him, but I don’t really care for Amri. He feels like a bootleg Deet mixed with a little bit of Kylan and Gurjin. Wasted potential and honestly shouldn’t have been the POV for Tides of the Dark Crystal. Seems I’m alone in this opinion, though. Maybe the book warrants rereading?

Day 5: Movie or TV Show? Why?

TV Show by miles! I think the series accomplishes way more than the movie does, like establishing lore,  better written characters, and a more engaging story. I actually cared about the gelfling and it really fleshed out the skeksis in an interesting way outside of “oh they do evil things because they’re evil!”. Doesn’t mean it does everything right, but I’ll get into that later.  

Day 6: Something you wish that happened in the series but didn’t.

Just a few things. I miss the gelfling intermingling with the mystics, particularly urVa. I love everything that happens with urGoh and skekGra, but some of the bonding moments Naia had with urVa are precious and I wish we had more of that. I also wished the gelfling got the message out to the other clans like they did in the book where Kylan dreametched their message onto the Santuary Tree’s blossoms and scattered them all throughout Thra. I also wished Tavra and Onica were an established couple, but maybe it’s not too late for that.

Day 7: Favorite gelfling clan

The Sifa! It was the Dousan at first, but the more I learned about the Sifa the more I grew to love the clan. If I were a gelfling I would probably be a sifa myself LOL. 

Day 8: You opinion on Aughra

She’s a fun and fascinating character! Aughra puts a unique spin on the whole beautiful, wise earth goddess trope by making her ugly, old, and cranky. She’s also a character with her own flaws, even having a mini arc about neglecting to take care of her planet and doing whatever she can to make amends. Not to mention she’s wildly entertaining. Much love for Aughra!

Day 9: Skeksis or Gelfling?

Both!

Day 10: Your opinion on podlings?

They’re just funky little potato people who just want to have fun, dance, and drink all day and I respect them for that. They’re great. Also Hup exists and he’s just an amazing character so there’s that.

Day 11: Your The Dark Crystal unpopular opinion

I think it’s okay to sympathize with the skeksis as long as one is not excusing their actions. I see a lot of people say you shouldn’t because they’re evil and they commit atrocities. Which, yes, it’s true, but I think both can co-exist. I mean, skekTek’s whole cycle of abuse is written very sympathetically yet the show doesn’t coddle him. It shows the ugliness of his character and what happens when someone isn’t capable of cutting off from said cycle. Also the writers consider the skeksis as tragic characters due to their broken nature so I don’t think it’s wrong to be a little sympathetic. But once again with great emphasis, sympathy is fine as long as their actions are judged. They are awful bastards and no amount of sympathy will change that. 

Day 12: Something you dislike about the series

I think the stuff I don’t like about the show is a result of its pacing and cluttered cast. There are so many stories going on and while I liked how they handled it for the most part, you can also see how the show rushes to get through all of them. A lot of important moments where a character should reflect or something that should simmer more is pushed aside for the next thing. Maybe if the show was given more episodes and time to breath it would have been better off. 

Day 13: Most disappointing thing about the series

SkekMal and urVa didn’t have enough screen time and we were honestly ROBBED. 

Day 14: Your OTP

Speaking of which... . Its a crack ship, but I’m all about that allegory for self love (and I just want these two to be alive). Day 15: Favorite quote

Listed plenty of my favorite quotes before, but I’ll pick this one:

“ Life is my paint. Death is my canvas”

Day 16: Rate the skeksis from least favorite to favorite OR rate the gelfling from lest favorite to favorite [or both!]

And if you want my gelfling hot takes, here’s this list (just backwards in context to this post)

Day 17: Opinion on Raunip?

Raunip is a fantastic character. I loved him in Creation Myths and I can’t wait to see what role he’d play in the resistance. And I absolutely love the parallels between him and the urskeks it’s great. 

Day 18: A character that is most similar to you.

I too am a dark-dwelling gremlin who constantly forgets where I put things and crack a few dark jokes at my expense. 

Day 19: Which character do you strongly dislike, why?

This is entirely based on the books, but I find Mera to be awful.  I think it’s because she’s so fake and condescending? When Naia arrived in Sami Thicket, she was acting nice and polite but when the Drenchen asked her why the skeksis never visited Sog Mera responded  “It’s only worth counting what’s valuable”. She continuously disrespects her by calling her pet names even when Naia became maudra. It doesn’t come off as cute, it’s gross. I don’t recall Mera ever apologizing for any of the shit she did to Naia... or Kylan for that matter. She was a pretty neglectful step-mother to him. She doesn’t have an excuse being busy with Maudra stuff because Laesid was a kickass mom to her kids. So in conclusion, fuck this bitch.

Day 20: What do you like so much about the Dark Crystal?

The better question what’s not to love about the Dark Crystal? It has amazing creature design, an expansive world that feels real and alien from our own, having complex and interesting characters as well as villains, the fact that it relies heavily on practical effects a.k.a puppetry... . There’s nothing like it and that’s what makes it so wonderful and unique. It needs to be appreciated more. 

Day 21: Favorite music piece from the soundtrack?

Can’t beat that opening theme. 

Day 22: Your opinion on the sequel comics [Power/Beneath the Dark Crystal]

They have cool concepts and ideas, but they’re not written well. Power is just the movie if it was put into a blender and shredded and ignoring a large portion of established lore for the sake of plot. And Beneath is just a generic fantasy story with the Dark Crystal logo slapped on it. 

Day 23: Which character from the YA novels/comics do you wish we would see more of?

There are plenty of characters that are a given to appear in the series at some point (skekSa, skekLi, urSan, etc). And of course I want to see them, but I really hope Periss shows up (and his brother too). He is one of my favorite characters from the book series and we could use some more Dousan rep!

Day 24: Your opinion on the Age of Resistance comic?

I have yet to read the comics. I’m waiting on them to be part of a collection so I don’t have to buy all of the volumes at once (I prefer owning physical copies). I’ve heard good things about them, especially the story with Hup and the current Mayrin arc. I’m excited to get my hands on them. 

Day 25: The best moment/scene in the series?

There are a lot of great moments, but Rian and Ordon’s fight with skekMal is still my favorite in the entire series. The "Speak For the Dead” scene is a close second.

Day 26: The death of a character that hurt you the most?

He did not deserve this. Fuck you, skekMal. 

Day 27: Your favorite episode from the series?

It’s got to be 4. Not just because a number of my favorite characters debut in this episode, but it’s an important one for the plot. Stakes are being raised, we’re seeing set ups to major story elements and character arcs, and events that impact the rest of the series. It also has a handful of my favorite character moments and interactions. 

Day 28: Your favorite non-skeksis and non-gelfling character? Why?

I’ve come to realize the reasons why I love urVa are the same as why I love skekMal (incredibly appropriate I might say). There’s enough information about him that we get a good understanding on who he is as a character, but still mysterious enough that there’s interest in wanting to know more. Much like his skeksis, he’s unique from the other mystics and thus giving him unique experiences that are fun to speculate. However, the YA novels are responsible for my current fondness of him. 

Day 29: Do you like the urru and skeksis apart or like them as urSkeks together?

A main theme of the Dark Crystal is unity and balance. The main conflict of the franchise are the skeksis, the broken fragments of their urskek self who, according to the writers, “...[have] a dire need for the qualities they lack”. Their only salvation is to become urskeks again and unfortunately many of the pairs never achieve this.  They’re basically a giant allegory for the self and self-love. While we don’t really know what they were like when they were an urskek (aside from SilSol perhaps), we can get some understanding when we look at their pairs and see what traits they share. Speculation is also fun! So as much as I love the skeksis and mystics as individuals, I prefer them to be whole again.

Day 30: What are your wishes for a possible season 2?

A whole bunch of things. I want to see them explore more about the mystics and their lifestyle, having Raunip play a big part in the plot, seeing more of skekSa’s fall from grace from her perspective, the beginning of the Garthim Wars, and more. 

[katieskarlette]

Shadows Rising: A Reaction Post

Short, mostly non-spoilery version:  I liked it overall.  I give it a solid B, maybe a B+.

I was disappointed in how little Nathanos and/or Sylvanas content there was, but I think proclamations of the ship’s doom are premature.  

I’m intrigued by the first rumblings of new character development for certain characters, especially Anduin, Alleria and Turalyon.

I was rooting for Talanji so much.  She’s great. Zekhan is a cinnamon roll too pure for this world.  Sira was kind of boring. Fairshaw is so darn heartwarming I can’t stand it. I like Bwonsamdi more now. The lack of Wrathion is unsurprising but unfortunate. Nothing new with Tyrande but she’s already poised for major development in Shadowlands.

Much longer, spoilery version below.

This ended up being more of a ramble than an essay, but there’s a lot of disjointed thoughts pinging around in my head, so let’s dive in.

Overall, I enjoyed Shadows Rising.  Was it the best book ever?  No.  Not even the best Warcraft book ever.  But it was an enjoyable read.  It’s always a treat to get into the heads of characters we mostly know in passing from in-game events.  There are internal, emotional beats that cannot easily be explored in the game, and the books are a way to build the world and the characters in a more introspective, slow-paced manner.  I like that.  (That’s not to say there are no action scenes, because there definitely are.)

Talanji, Jaina, Zekhan, and Anduin were all written well and sympathetically.  Maiev’s only in a couple scenes, but she felt off to me.  Nathanos was very in-character, in all his snide, sour glory.   Flynn and Mathias are great together.

The pacing was fine.  The descriptions were good, and it all felt grounded in the game world (i.e. landmarks, ambiance, the ridiculous amount of stairs in Daz’alor...)  Each of the Horde leaders got a moment or two in the spotlight.  Despite a fair amount of chapters about Anduin, Alleria, Turalyon, and Jaina, it still felt like a Horde-centric book to me.  Not that that’s a bad thing.

Prologue:  Gayness detected on page 8!  And it’s even something I kind of inadvertently predicted.  In my reaction post for Before the Storm I wrote, “ In this book alone, it would have been so easy to have that blacksmith bringing a helmet as a gift to his long-lost Forsaken husband instead of friend.”  That’s basically what we have here.  I don’t know if they were married, and neither were blacksmiths, but the Westfall moonshiner describes one of the Forsaken slain in Arathi as “the best man I ever knew and loved.”  Tada!  See how easy it was?  Add Jago x Wilmer to the growing list of LGBT rep in Azeroth.  (Even if they’re super minor characters in the long run, it’s still great to see.)

There might be some kind of parallel to be drawn between Alleria failing Anduin (by not finding/killing Sylvanas) and Nathanos failing Sylvanas (by not killing Bwonsamdi) but my brain is too overloaded from binge-reading to articulate it right now.  Both failed their king or queen, but both were also given nearly impossible tasks. 

Alleria and Turalyon are definitely being set up as antagonists.  We are clearly supposed to side with Jaina on this, and be uncomfortable (if not outright horrified) at their torture methods.  It’s especially disturbing how they use their respective void and light powers to accomplish their goals.  I mean, on one hand it’s great that both sides of the great cosmic divide can work together, and their marriage seems stronger than it was for awhile there, but yeesh...can you not torture people?  I know, ends justify the means, slippery slope, greater evil, blah blah, but still...that’s not okay.  It’s yet another sign that the Light is not necessarily good (or the void necessarily evil).

I welcome conflict within the Alliance, though.  That’s been the Horde’s thing for long enough.  Time to see how the blue side deals with its rifts.

In chapter 2 Nathanos is annoyed when a dreadtick flies by his head.  What, was it too similar to a bird for his liking?  Heh. 

All that time in Nazmir, and we didn’t get to see a single crawg!  Harumph.

It took three chapters and 39 pages to finally get something from Nathanos' perspective, and he was much more scarce going forward than I had hoped.  The bits we did get from his perspective were great and in-character, but I wanted to get into his head more.  Most of his scenes were from the POV of Sira or the troll villain instead, and while Apari was a good character I find Sira to be pretty one-dimensional. 

I kind of got paternal vibes from Nathanos toward Sira, though.  He was like, “I’ve been undead a lot longer than you; I know how to handle the bloodlust and such.  Get it out of your system at appropriate times but learn to control yourself.  There’s more to (un)life than slaughtering people.”  She herself, though, was just “Rawr, I hate everything and want to kill anything that moves.”  I mean, I get that she’s been through some traumatic stuff, but I didn’t find myself invested in her at all.

Page 42, as a bunch of trolls are about to be slaughtered:  "Hungry birds circled, expectant of a big meal, and Nathanos so hated to disappoint."  WHAT?  Nathanos wanted to do something nice for BIRDS?  I know, the phrasing fits with his dry, sarcastic sense of humor, but considering the running joke about him hating birds, it still made me go, “Huh?”

Chapter 5 (and later on, as it turns out):  Zekhan having a soft spot for kids is too precious for this world.

Page 51:  Thalyssra's eyes were "sparkling as she gazed across the room at Lor'themar."  Awwwwwww.   There was a surprising amount of ship fodder in this book overall, with Lor’themar x Thalyssra, Turalyon x Alleria, Fairshaw, and Zehkhan x Talanji all getting a moment or two (or more.) 

Chapter 6:  Anduin says, "Turalyon, take Alleria Windrunner and investigate these deaths."  You know, Alleria...YOUR WIFE?  I don't think you need to say her last name there, genius. 

While I’m being snarky about the editing, there were at least two times where the word “grieves” was used instead of “greaves.”  I spotted a couple other little things that a better editor (or one with more time, maybe it was rushed, I don’t know) would have caught.

Chapter 7:  More matter-of-fact LGBT inclusion for minor characters, this time a lesbian troll couple who want to marry.  Yes, thank you Blizzard, keep it up.

Chapter 8:  If you’re going to make the “Zappy Boy” nickname for Zekhan canon, having Bwonsamdi be the one to wink at the camera and use it was a great decision.  I can totally imagine him saying it.

We learn the name of Varok’s wife/Dranosh’s mother:  Remda.  Although I read elsewhere that the vision Zekhan saw of the Saurfang family in the afterlife was just Bwonsamdi’s B.S., it was still cool.

Chapter 13:  Nathanos wearing cologne?  Love it.  And it’s not even to cover up the rotting smell, because apparently his new body doesn’t stink like some undead; it just doesn’t smell like a living person, either, and some find it unnerving.  So he wears cologne.  That’s such a delightful little detail, and surprisingly considerate of him.

Sira complaining about bugs:  "We'll be eaten alive."  Uh no, you'd have to BE ALIVE for that to happen. Tsk.

Nathanos being called "the pale rider" makes me think of old cowboy movies.  Like, “You greenhorns better clear out; the Pale Rider is comin’ to town and there’s gonna be trouble.  Go wake up the sheriff.”  

Sira says that while on the voyage to Zandalar the dark rangers liked to tell the tale of how Nathanos was promoted to Ranger Lord by Sylvanas.  I'm surprised he lets them gossip like that!  His quests in vanilla made it seem he wanted to keep those parts of his past on the down-low, at least from the player.

Chapter 14:  Thrall's second kid is Rehze.  *blink*  Reh-zee?  Rez?  Ruh-zay?  I guess she’s not named after anyone.  After he named his son Durak (sort of after Durotan) I assumed he’d continue the pattern with kid #2.  Maybe she’s named after one of Aggra’s relatives.  (Later I read on Wowpedia that the author actually said she dislikes the “fan service” trend of naming children after other characters so she just picked a random orcish name.  I don’t think it’s fan service, because lots of real-life people do it, but okay.  Fair enough.)

Speaking of orcish names, there’s an orc page helping out the council named Gunk.  Like, what you clean out from under your fingernails after gardening.  Gunk.  LOL

Aww, that’s no fun...Maiev's wearing a cape trimmed in white fur, not daggers.  What happened to her impeccable/deadly fashion sense?

Chapter 16:  Zekhan starting to clap at Talanji's speech and then stopping and shrinking back when he realized no one else was applauding was so freaking adorable.

Chapter 17:  Fairshaw, full steam ahead!!!  Their chemistry is everything I hoped it would be.  Learning a little about Flynn’s tragic past was both fascinating and heartbreaking.  (We learned his mom’s name: Lyra Fairwind.  R.I.P.)

Chapter 18:  Proodmoore keep has a gallery with floor to ceiling oil paintings of the Proudmoore family, extended family, and beloved friends.  It now includes Anduin.  I can’t help thinking that, in a different timeline, Arthas’ portrait would have been there.

Will wonders never case?  Ji Firepaw actually gets to do stuff!!!  GASP!

"Thrall understood that to other humans Wrynn was said to be pleasing-looking, but to the orc, Anduin simply looked like a small, pink boy swallowed by clunky armor."  So it’s canon that Anduin is good-looking in-universe.  But LMAO at Thrall’s description.

Chapter 22:  From Shaw’s POV, "These odds ranked pretty low...  Maybe just above the time he had relied completely on a shoddy network of spies embedded in a cheese business."  OMG leave Elling Trias alone!  He did his best!  LOL

Shaw wanting to hang out in a mountain meadow and whittle bird calls (perhaps even with a special someone) was so touchingly normal.  That’s the kind of characterization that the books are so much better at than the game.

I actually like Bwonsamdi more after reading this.  Not that I disliked him before, but I didn’t have a strong sense of him due to not playing Horde as much in BFA.  He’s a well-done gray character:  not good, not evil, insightful but a smartass, part of the great cycle, out for himself but also taking his duties seriously (saving troll souls from the Maw.) 

I’m not entirely sure that we needed as much from Thrall’s POV as we got.  I mean, sure, he’s a familiar character with ties to a lot of others, so it was easy to drop him into situations, and his ties to Jaina made cross-faction communication easier, but he didn’t seem as relevant to the lore of Zandalar and the Shadowlands as some other characters.

Maiev seemed OOC, especially in the Stockades scene.  I know one of the themes of the book was “people change,” and I suppose I should be happy that she has a more moderate viewpoint nowadays, dialing back the Lust For Vengeance Meter from eleven to maybe a five or a six, but it didn’t feel like Maiev.  Especially because her message of “maybe don’t go overboard with this vengeance thing” was aimed at Tyrande, of all people, someone who Maiev has had quite legitimate reasons to dislike for a very, very long time.  I could see her maybe mellowing out a little in front of fellow Wardens, but Tyrande?  Eh, it didn’t feel right to me.

No surprises from Tyrande in this.  She’s still steely cold, vengeance-obsessed, consumed by anger.  Not that I blame her, but it’s not healthy.  I know we’ll be exploring her situation more in Shadowlands, so this was more of a reminder/reinforcement of where she is right now.  It was kind of funny how Thrall, Baine and Calia tried to talk to her and she just gave them the stink eye and the silent treatment, though.

I’m fine with Anduin exploring his dark side a bit more, as long as they don’t go overboard with it.  I like him as an earnest, good-hearted character.  It’s only natural to test your limits, though, especially in times of crisis.  Power corrupts, and he’s got plenty of it, both politically and magically, so I can understand Jaina and Mathias being a bit uneasy.  Add to that the increasing themes about the Light not being as benevolent as we originally assumed, and there’s potential for interesting plot there.  In the end I want Anduin to stay firmly on the side of good, empathy, compassion, etc., but a deviation into the shadows along the way isn’t a bad thing for the story.

I imagine every single person who read about Anduin sneaking off to the Lion’s Pride Inn in Goldshire smirked about that place’s reputation on certain RP realms.  I was surprised he didn’t find scantily-clad elves and draenei dancing on the furniture.  And then it turns out Jaina was there, too.  Awkward!

Why, oh why couldn’t we have had a scene with Anduin and Wrathion hanging out (incognito, of course) in a tavern?  That was their thing in MoP, and now with Anduin desperately wanting to get away from his duties for awhile and soak up some tavern ambiance it would have been perfect.  Let Anduin show off the best taverns Stormwind has to offer.  Even though Wrathion was as much a guest at the Tavern in the Mists as Anduin was, he acted like he owned the place and Anduin was his guest, so let them turn the tables and have Anduin play host.  There could be jokes about how he better not punch Wrathion again or they’ll get kicked out for starting a bar fight.  They could have still seen the young recruits, ran into Jaina, etc.  But Anduin really needs a buddy to hang out with right now.  

And you can’t tell me after Nya’lotha fell Wrathion just disappeared again and never at least visited Stormwind to tell grandiose tales about how he stabbed an Old God, it was so heroic, and he wasn’t scared at all, and those mean adventurers were so quick to believe he’d been corrupted, but he hadn’t, and did you know Azshara was there?  And then N’Zoth almost won but KERPOW LAZERS and oh Anduin you should have seen it, etc. etc. etc.

I should be used to being disappointed about Wrathion’s absence by now, but there are SO MANY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES!

Sigh.  Moving on.

Being exposed to spoilers meant I wasn’t fooled by it, but it was still a deft bit of writing to have the dark rangers drink poison when cornered by Horde soldiers, then mention Nathanos having a vial in his coat, which he drinks when defeated--making the unspoiled reader assume he’s killing himself--only for it to be a kind of liquid hearthstone attuned to Sylvanas.  Had I not known that he survived the book I would have freaked out there.

So, like, was Bolvar just sitting there on the ground awkwardly eavesdropping while Sylvanas and Nathanos talked/argued?  Or did he use that time to sneak away unnoticed?  LOL

Which brings us to the epilogue that’s caused so much hand wringing and wailing from my fellow Blightrunner shippers.  It wasn’t the openly sentimental interaction between them that I had hoped for, but I honestly didn’t read it as the doom of the ship.  A bump, at worst.

[If you’re not interested in the relationship between Nathanos and Sylvanas, or if you’re one of those people who simply hate his character, you can skip the rest of this post.]

First of all, Sylvanas had just broken the Helm of Domination.  That was a hugely significant thing to do, both for her personally and in the cosmic scheme of things.  Her state of mind at that moment had to have been in a turmoil.  So if she was a little distracted and tense, I think that’s quite understandable.

Second, I saw other fans being upset that she threatened/wanted to strike him.  That’s not how I read it at all.  “Sylvanas could strike him, scream and hollow out his soul, but it would not correct the failing.”  She’s not saying she wants to do that, just that she could.  The instinct to lash out in violence is ingrained in all the undead; death knights have to do it or they go mad.  So for her mind to go there in a moment of high emotion seems natural to me.  She doesn’t actually attack him or verbally/physically threaten him.  People say things like “I could have killed my brother for eating the last slice of cake” or “I could’ve strangled my co-worker when she spoiled the ending of the movie” and it’s not literal.

Third, she doesn’t say “go away, I never want to see you again.”  She says “Go where you will, Nathanos, but do not be idle” and “I expect you will return to me with means to prevent [Bwonsamdi’s] meddling.”  So essentially she’s saying, “Fine, go home, regroup, come up with Plan B, and if it’s not possible to destroy Bwonsamdi at least concentrate on countering him.”  Also note that she still considers the operation to be theirs, not just hers:  “This was a blow, but one she felt sure they could overcome.”  That tells me she expects to work with him in the future.

Fourth, and granted this is before she learns of his failure, but she’s clearly happy to have him there when he first arrives.  “’My champion,’ Sylvanas purred.  ‘Your timing could not be better.  Tell me of your victory as we take these first steps together.’”  She wanted to cross into the Shadowlands with him at her side.  Hell, that’s bridal imagery...crossing the threshold together, and all that.  The only reason she tells him to go is because his work isn’t done and she still needs him on Azeroth.  But she explicitly says “I expect you will return to me.” 

Fifth, in the line from her POV about how “the unjust ladder of their lives must be dismantled,” the “they” she’s referring to is all of the denizens of Azeroth, true, but I think there’s also a tinge of bitterness there as she looks back on her own life, and her life with Nathanos.  Destiny has not been kind to either of them.

Sixth, she says “My path lies ahead” as she prepares to cross into the Shadowlands.  It’s a reminder of the scale of the forces she is trying to manipulate.  When faced with the potential fates of all the souls in the universe, her own regrets are insignificant.  She can’t stay on Azeroth any longer, even if some part of her does want to just chill out on a beach somewhere with Nathanos and watch his blighthounds chase seagulls.  She thinks “It would not be easy, but then, her mission required great sacrifice.”  Like leaving him behind.

Even this part can be interpreted different ways:  “She heard the note of hope in his voice, fragile as a fledgling dropped from the next.”  Putting aside the humor of comparing bird-hating Nathanos to a fledgling, we don’t get a value judgment about the comparison.  Sylvanas doesn’t think about him sympathetically, wanting to protect him in a vulnerable moment, but she also doesn’t think, “Geez, what a pathetic weakling.”  It goes back to that bit in Warbringers about how she can’t kill hope.  And she can’t.  Here, again, no matter how bleak things are, no matter how displeased she is at his failure, he still has hope.  And she needs that, whether she believes it or not.

When she “flicked her fingers, as if ridding herself of a speck of muck” that can be interpreted as her thinking of him in a derogatory way, but she was also talking about Bwonsamdi in the same breath so I can choose to believe that’s who she was being dismissive of.

I don’t know.  I get that some of the language is discouraging.  She describes him as having “blubbering lips” and she’s definitely not happy with him.  But these two have been through a lot, and their bond has remained strong.  I’m sure this isn’t their first fight, or the first time he’s disappointed her.  This isn’t the end for them.  Just another bump on a very long highway they’ve traveled together.

...

OMG this has turned into a monster of a post, rambling all over the place.  I hope it’s coherent enough to follow.  I’m just in lore overload at the moment (and enjoying every second.)  I know I’m forgetting things I wanted to talk about, too, but I’m going to go ahead and post it as it is.

[myhahnestopinion]

The AARONS 2018 - Best TV Episode

Peak TV is tearing me apart trying to binge-watch every show that is epic, so defending individual chapters of these shows is a good way to remind oneself to not get so lost in the big picture. Here are The Aarons for Best TV Episode: 

#10. “Captain Underpants and the Costly Conundrum of the Calamitous Claylossus” (The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, Season 1, Episode 7)

Even more so than the fun but formulaic movie of last year, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants embraces the irreverent spirit of Dav Pilkey’s children’s books. This charming childishness is no more prominent than in “The Costly Conundrum of the Calamitous Claylossus,” in which the latest vile villain brings the world of the Wedgie Warrior from its traditional genial 2D animation to 3D Claymation, threatening its survival... due to, as the characters note, the budget cuts to their show needed to maintain such animation. This meta-narrative proved that, when it comes to the colossal undertaking of retaining the joy of Pilkey’s series, the Netflix Series is certainly wearing the pants.

#9. “A House Divided” (Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, Season 3, Episode 10)

Trollhunters rose above the basic tropes at the backbone of its story thanks to the creative spirit of creator Guillermo del Toro. For its final season, del Toro’s influence was felt harder than ever, particularly in “A House Divided,” which marks protagonist Jim Lake’s fateful loss of innocence, a common theme among the director’s works. Jim’s journey has left him with an impossible choice, which renders the viewer nervously unable to breathe for the duration of the episode, only to culminate in an unforgettable ending that features only the sound of breathing. While spin-off series 3 Below may be off to a good start, it will be difficult for any of del Toro’s planned Tales of Arcadia to match the heights of his subterranean world of trolls.

#8. “I’m Not the Person I Used to Be” (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 4, Episode 8)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s final season is off to an affecting start, but has suffered from a sense of place-setting in its first half, the blessing and the curse of its extended episode order this year. However, the series’ endgame seems to have finally begun in its tight-knit mid-season finale, which saw the return of season 1 mainstay Greg like you’ve never seen him before… literally. Skylar Astin gets off on the right foot as the recasting of the role, a backstage change used within universe to demonstrate and further develop Rebecca’s changing sense of self as she seeks happiness and reconciliation, noble pursuits that make for notable television. That doesn’t sound so crazy now, does it?

#7. “Winner” (Better Call Saul, Season 4, Episode 10)

If Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has made excellent television out of the pursuit of personal growth, then Better Call Saul’s moral decay can perhaps be designated its mirror image. As with all of the show’s season finales, “Winner” is a product of bad decisions on the part of the characters, and great decisions on the part of the show’s creators. The episode acts as a microcosm of a season filled with exhilarating schemes, striking cinematography, and poignant decisions, culminating in a turn of events that remains shocking despite being known as inevitable. The episode title says it all. This one’s a winner.

#6. “Legends of To-Meow-Meow” (Legends of Tomorrow, Season 4, Episode 8)

As noted in its ranking in the Best TV Shows of the year, there is a large assortment of gonzo episodes of Legends of Tomorrow that deserve distinguished praise, but the show might have snuck its most awesomely oddball episode in just under the wire for this awards show. A teammate’s transformation into a feline following a regretful change to history is but the cat-alyst of an episode that illustrates the multiple revisions to the Legends of Tomorrow (aka Custodians of the Chronology aka Sirens of Space Time) timeline via retro-TV-themed intros, explicitly mocks the comparatively tame nature of the concurrent running “Elseworlds” crossover, and, yes, teaches kids helpful lessons through the power of singing puppets. It’s an episode brimming with loveable moments, but all knit together with a touching story of a lost love that perfectly illustrates why Legends of Tomorrow has clawed its way up to the best of the Arrowverse.

#5. “Time’s Up for the Gang” (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 13, Episode 4)

Always Sunny has never shied away from addressing hot-button issues, tackling racism, abortion, and gun control with a biting satirical edge in just its first batch of episodes. Yet, it’s still shocking how much dark humor the show can unearth in the most unlikely of places, a delicate balancing act that succeeds because the show is keenly aware of where its jokes should fall. Written by series standout Megan Ganz, “Time’s Up for the Gang” puts its hilariously-horrible cast of characters through the ringer over their past behavior with rollicking gall and technical grace. There’s likely no other show that can maintain such quality and relevance thirteen seasons in, suggesting that Always Sunny’s time is far from over.

#4. “Jeremy Bearimy” (The Good Place, Season 3, Episode 4)

Written by the bearer of one of Twitter’s best accounts, and the mind behind last year’s eclectic entry “Dance Dance Resolution,” Megan Amram, Jeremy Bearimy brought The Good Place’s third season roaring to life in wild fashion. Kickstarting with the reveal that our universe’s true nature is more “Jeremy Bearimy” than timey-wimey, the episode features a slow descent into existential crises that is, despite the show’s wonderfully heightened reality, presented in the most relatable of fashions: a truly, truly disgusting bowl of chili. The episode’s major resonance lies in the credo cultivated in its final moments, a commitment to doing good in the face of inescapable punishment, but it’s also an unbearably funny journey to get there.

#3. “Free Churro” (BoJack Horseman, Season 5, Episode 6)

BoJack Horseman’s most remarkable episodes, such as previous Aaron winners “Fish Out of Water” and “Stupid Piece of Sh*t,” have been those that have toyed with its animation format. “Free Churro” breaks these conventions in a completely different manner, isolating the entire action of the episode to a single monologue via eulogy delivered by Will Arnett’s BoJack. This striped-down focus parallels the striping down of BoJack’s psyche through a rambling, soul-churning soliloquy that lays bare BoJack’s tragic backstory. As it goes on, the monologue leads the protagonist and the viewer to the harrowing realization that perhaps there will not be a happy ending waiting at the end of all this. It’s heavy stuff, but the cherry on the top of a great episode is the comedic pay-off to the piece, in case you were afraid that “Free Churro” was entire free of cheer.

#2. “Party Monster: Scratching the Surface” (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Season 4, Episode 3)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, like BoJack Horseman, is a show that address a history of abuse in unexpectedly uproarious ways, and, like BoJack Horseman, produced one of the best episodes of the year by breaking its Unbreakable formula. Framed as an expose documentary on Kimmy’s once-captor, the Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne aka DJ Slizzard, “Party Monster: Scratching the Surface” is at once a staggering assortment of long-running gags, a painfully precise mockery of documentary formats (including riotous instances of narrative tangents and stock footage), and a scathing lampooning of how misogynistic radicalization takes hold.  The show has always been fueled by a righteous fury, but with the fourth season’s no-holds-barred approach to its darker material that never sacrifices the rapid-fire humor, it’s sad that Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt will be ending this year, when it seems like it’s still just scratching the surface.

AND THE BEST TV EPISODE OF 2018 IS...

#1. “Teddy Perkins” (Atlanta, Season 2, Episode 6)

Unexpected even in a show that’s routinely impossible to predict, “Teddy Perkins” is undoubtedly the strangest episode of TV all year… and certainly the best. Fulfilling, and perhaps exceeding, the bizarreness of Atlanta’s oft-cited inspiration Twin Peaks, the episode follows Lakeith Stanfield’s Daryl quest for a particular piano that lands him in the decrepit mansion of the peculiar eponymous Teddy Perkins, an eerie, ersatz late-in-life Michael Jackson, played by star Donald Glover in extensive make-up. It’s surreal without sacrificing structure (in fact, the episode aired unbroken by commercial to enhance the immersion) or the show’s social commentary. For the entire extended-length of the unnerving and unforgettable episode, viewers are rankled by the horrifying possibilities of a show that has so unequivocally shattered all boundaries of television, including the possibility of a fateful end for a beloved central character. A standalone dreamlike masterpiece strengthened by its relation to a superb show, “Teddy Perkins” will undoubtedly perk up your ears if you’ re not already all in on Atlanta.

Yes, I know my puns got worse as the episodes got better.

NEXT UP: THE 2018 AARON FOR BEST TV PERFORMANCE!

[gameridernews]

Ex-Aid review: Month 6 (Episodes 21-24)

Alright, the review I posted for month 5 was a joke, as you know. I don't really intend to change how I do these reviews, and the only pictures you'll see (presumably) are screencaps from the episodes I'm talking about, not goofy reaction images. With that said, let's ACTUALLY go into what March gave us! It’s a big month of plot, and I also end this review by going into predictions.

For starters, a real interesting Bugster based on Giri Giri Chambara plagues a detective that investigates the Bugster Virus, as well as Genm Corp's previous CEO who's now in prison - been a little while since we saw Kuroto's papa, in fact... the last time was when another person was investigating the Bugster Virus. So you can see why this detective is in trouble.

The detective stuff was pretty fun. I like the idea of someone getting involved like this without being a Rider - it's a small way of making the world of this series feel a bit bigger, with characters who simply have no relation to the Riders and are on their own journey.

Oh, this is also the episode where Brave uses Drago Knight Hunter Z to use the Full Dragon formation. Pretty cool of them to do that even though the toy isn't made to do it. I think once Ex-Aid is over I might need to have a paragraph of text dedicated to the figure line...

Meanwhile, back in 2000 when Kamen Rider was making its return to television, a little Kuroto discovered the Bugster Virus within Genm Corp. This is only the start of what we learn about little Kuroto. It was an interesting tidbit to have a real specific year for when this all started. Things start to get more interesting once we hit the second episode of the month...

... Because Kuroto is busteeed! After all this hiding in the shadows, the ministry of health barges into his secret hideout and takes away all of his plans. Not only that, but he's also been infected with the Shakariki Sports' Bugster Virus, which seems like some form of karmatic justice! Nice to finally get some kind of representation for that game, by the way.

And on top of all this, Kuroto has been reduced to a sobbing mess as his plans have seemingly fallen apart, he confesses how he was jealous of Emu's creativity as a child, and infected him with the Bugster Virus using a demo of Mighty Action C (no doubt spawning fan Gashats). It seems like Kuroto's on the road to redemption now that Emu vows to cure him despite his sins--

Or, you know, fuck you.

In a twist that, admittedly, I was almost convinced wasn't about to happen, Kuroto returns to his god complex and tells Emu how naive he is and how he's been Kuroto's personal puppet all these years because of it.

As someone who has only seen a few episodes of JoJo, he's gone full Dio - he's metaphorically burned Emu's dog and is now as much of a monster as any Bugster. He then uses his zombie Bugster army to take over the Genm Corp building with the most shining pride. He also destroys Emu's Gamer Driver, meaning that our protagonist - and by extension, his allies - are powerless. He’s won.

But I know my tropes, so I knew what was about to go down. There's other things to talk about first, though.

Just wanna say as an aside, the suspicious Gashat that we're basically aware of the purpose of has some nice story revolving around it. I like that we're once again bringing back Mr. Burger (as I've decided to call him now) because Taiga is paying him to make a new Gashat to counteract Genm's cheating Zombie Gamer form.

The Monks Of Tera/Terror idea is hilarious, but I'm gonna be honest... I expected this to actually be a tie-in to the Snipe spinoff before we got to see it go any further, since he has a Bang Bang Tank Gashat there that we've yet to learn the context of. But I guess they could still make that happen.

There's also a nice bit of character interaction as Hiro wants to go fight Kuroto, then Taiga just slaps the silver Gashat into his hand to give him some better equipment than the Gashat Gear Dual B. Whether this is his way of saying Hiro is more skilled, or he's totally screwing with him since it didn't work in his own belt, I like that moment. Especially if it's the latter.

It doesn't end there, as the episode makes me realize something kind of important: Kiriya, our first Rider death of the series... has not been forgotten. In fact, compared to Kurokage in Gaim, whose death was important and only came up a couple times after, Kiriya's involvement really does matter. So I can't feel sorry he's gone, because he's leaving one hell of a mark. Especially with the realization Hiro then makes after reading his old notes about the Bugster Virus research.

It's during the first fight with Genm that Brave does something that's surprising, even after his solid development so far: He, the biggest doubter of Emu, gives a "You're the only one who can do this" speech to him. He's now aware that the Bugster Virus in him is the origin of all Bugsters, as well as all Gashats - if anyone will be able to make use of this silver Gashat and defeat Genm, it's the person who created Mighty Brothers XX.

As if that weren’t enough, he took one hell of a shot for Emu while he was overcome with the pressure of his role as the chosen one, so BAM that’s two characters who go through some good development. I appreciate, especially after Ghost, that Emu isn’t just naturally falling into that role - he’s lived a life feeling like someone who’s just trying to get by, and now Hiro is telling him he’s basically their savior. He’s understandably nervous.

But yes, after Brave's fall, Emu finally unleashes a giant metal can of whoopass on Genm, using the only thing that could overpower him: Something that's 10 x 10! 99, to be exact. Maximum Mighty X's mech suit was a thing I knew would be pretty divisive once I saw it in toy catalog scans, but it surprised me in a few different ways.

For one, they went with an actual suit instead of having it be CGI, which immediately makes it a lot cooler when it's a practical effects. That's a show of confidence, I'd say. But also, lining up with its intended purpose, it apparently has the ability to reprogram... a power that hopefully will not be part of Ex-Aid's final form because this already makes him pretty powerful.

Because of this, Maximum Mighty X is literally the only thing that can stop Genm now. "I reprogrammed your immortality," as Ex-Aid said. What a line. You can’t get this stuff anywhere else, folks.

But defeat doesn't come easy. Emu wants to be the one who saves Kuroto from himself. He chooses not to kill him, but to instead give him a beating that simultaneously removes his compatibility to the Gashats, leaving him unable to transform and thus take away everything that made him mad with power.

In Emu's mind, this is how Kuroto can finally be put on the road to redemption, despite his sins--

Or, you know, fuck him.

I've seen the "GAME OVER" dialogue over Kuroto's death numerous times, and just based on tropes, I knew he'd die in this episode even though people have made sure to say to me “Maybe he’ll just lose the ability to transform”. But I kinda wasn't expecting Parado to be the one to kill him - it makes sense. I figured it was a little out of character for Emu to be the one to deal the finishing blow, and Parado has had this long-standing problem with Kuroto ever since he killed one of the Bugsters out of pure spite. You know you’re a terrible person when your death makes the viewer feel happy for one of the bad guys.

As my joke review says, this is a cathartic episode, seeing Kuroto finally get what's coming to him after manipulating and backstabbing his enemies as well as his allies. With the previous episode, they made sure that Kuroto was far from redemption and the only thing that could take him down was a new form. Ex-Aid gained. And so, the day is... saved?

I made a post about this since I knew this was happening, but I’ll say it here: He made a great villain. His actor properly portrayed a gentleman who'd been dragged to hell by his own hubris. He was a character you could hate because that was his role. He received the death only he could receive. His story is over, finished.

Naturally, I have to address the thing people bring up a lot: When an actor leaves a Kamen Rider show, we see a photo of them on set holding a bouquet of flowers, a congratulatory gift from the staff to let them know they did a great job and they'll be missed. It's become a thing fans recognize as a definitive sign that a character won't be returning.

The reason this gets brought up here is, some are convinced Kuroto will make a return because no photo exists of the actor receiving said flowers. On the one hand, maybe that’ll happen once he’s done filming for Lazer’s spinoff, but on the other hand... maybe we put too much faith into such a random thing, you know? Graphite's actor got his, and he's coming back in the next episode. And let's not forget all of what Kiriya's got in terms of movie/spinoff appearances. We should take that to mean the flowers aren’t that literal.

Personally, I’m gonna take the scene of Kuroto screaming and turning into pixels while we hear “GAME OVERRR” as a sign that he’s dead for good. Plus, as said, he’s kinda done all he needs to do. Bringing him back would be like... when Gaim had a final episode that was “Let’s bring back the movie villain for a revenge plot just because”. And who besides me was cheering for that?

Anyway, I'm rambling now. Let's talk about crossovers! Starting with Gaim, Kamen Rider and Super Sentai have had crossovers to promote the spring movie, no matter how little screentime Sentai gets! Let's... let’s get this one over with.

First up is episode 7 of Uchu Sentai Kyuranger! 97% of the episode is just a Kyuranger episode. A monster is stealing the birthdays from children, and eventually steals the birthday of the gold Ranger, Balance. This causes any attempt to celebrate birthdays to disappear, making everyone profoundly depressed.

Does this sound like an Ex-Aid crossover yet? Well, as the image will show you, a Kamen Rider villain appears - it's... not Ikadevil, but rather SPACE Ikadevil! This isn't a random redesign made for the crossover, but rather a random redesign from a previous movie where Fourze's space theme got randomly leaked into the Shocker villains as they rebrand themselves as Space Shocker. It's a cute idea for Kyuranger, which is based in this Star Wars/Trek setting where we have galaxy-dominating aliens.I can dig the idea of Shocker still persisting.

Space Ikadevil randomly appears to delay the Lucky/Shishi Red (the lead red Ranger), so the Kyuranger commander beams down a Kyutama (their collectibles/transformation items) that he figures is perfect for the fight - it's an Ex-Aid Kyutama which summons Ex-Aid in his Level 1 form, and he delivers a beatdown.

Shishi Red also demonstrates his plot convenience luck by accidentally flipping Ex-Aid's Gamer Driver cover open to level him up, so that was fun. Gets a bit weird as he lets his suit dematerialize and he's just Emu, then suddenly disappears into pixels as the Kyutama disappears with him.

I THINK the implication of this cameo is that Emu was warped to the Kyuranger setting thanks to... space magic? I would like to think it’s a simulation, but that doesn’t make as much sense when you see Ex-Aid’s episode. If you don’t think too hard about it, it’s a decent way to explain how the past and future could meet.

Sure would be nice if the Ex-Aid episode cared about giving a reason for the crossover action. SHOTS FIRED.

Episode 24 of Ex-Aid starts off with three punk rockers who are all infected with the Bugster Virus. As they leave the hospital and reveal themselves to be stronger versions of reused monsters who inexplicably have no visual cues to show that they're stronger, Lucky appears! No particular reason, he just happens to be in the area-- which I guess is in-character for his plot convenient luck. I'm not making jokes by the way, I wish I was - that’s his entire gimmick. He’s my one complaint about Kyuranger so far.

Lucky wants to help, and because I guess Ex-Aid's cameo in Kyuranger is kinda-canon, Emu just assumes Lucky is a fellow hero and they transform together. Shishi Red helps Ex-Aid take on the monsters very quickly, and once they return to their hosts' bodies... Lucky kindly fucks off after very randomly planting the seed for this episode's message.

I had a lengthier thing to say here but I'll sum up why I think this cameo is terrible: It's lazy. Kyuranger’s is worse since it feels like an repisode they just edited Ex-Aid into, at least with this one I can see Ex-Aid clearly made a filler episode just for the whole minute of a crossover. Gaim and Drive handled their Sentai crossovers in the form of an hour long special which had more time to tell an actual story that connects the shows. Say what you will about those crossovers, at least they tried.

Worth mentioning this might not even have any relevance to the spring movie these are presumably made for. Like Drive and Ninninger had a crossover TV special, but the movie ignores that it even happened since Drive has no idea who they are. If the Ex-Aid/Kyuranger episodes literally have nothing to do with the movie then this was even more of a waste. 

Right, I was reviewing an episode or something.

Okay, so Lucky randomly mentions that he has friends to rely on, and Emu says he has three friends he can rely on as well. Asuna asks what he means, and he tells her it's Hiro, Taiga, and Kiriya - ouch, poor Asuna. See how well that bike corpse protects you when Poppy starts kicking your ass next month, jackass.

Turns out Emu thinks too highly of himself here, as Hiro doesn't really recall ever regarding him as a friend and Taiga is kind of like the guy who's closer to your video game collection than he is to you. With three Bugsters running around, they decide to see who can destroy them first - or at least, Taiga decides that's the bet.And in true Taiga fashion, you lose all your Gashats if you lose, but he apparently doesn’t.

I should say this after that rant about the crossovers... This episode was a lot of fun. It's undeniably made because of the Sentai cameo, due to its message of teamwork, a major part of Sentai. When they aren't focusing on the red Ranger. Having previous monsters return with new levels is fun too. Even if they have no alterations. Gotta keep them untouched for Kamen Rider Chronicle.

They end the teamwork message on a good note. While they're all kind of selfish and immature on their own ways, as doctors these three are on point. Emu's learned a lot about how to deal with patients, Hiro and Taiga are willing to admit that about him, and Taiga even shows some kind of compassion for a patient by calling for an ambulance in the "I care but I don't want to show it" kind of way I expect from him. It's a nicely executed scene.

If I'm right about this being some obligated Sentai cameo thing, they handled it with grace by this point in the episode. I had forgotten that Shishi Red never made a second appearance until now because it was all so good on its own.

The episode does have some interesting developments too! We see the new CEO of Genm Corp, who's just... kind of a joy to watch. Now, admittedly, I got spoiled on the fact that he was a Bugster thanks to the latest monthly scans showing up before I watched this episode. But I'm glad that they kinda got to the point about it once he talked to Poppy about her singing the theme to their latest game: Toki Meki Crisis Kamen Rider Chronicle!

Then we end on the most surprising twist of the episode: Parado has realized Kuroto's dream of finishing Kamen Rider Chronicle... for himself! He summons Graphite, and reveals to us that Graphite could always be brought back, it was just a matter of time. I guess this also confirms Graphite is in fact supposed to represent Drago Knight Hunter Z, a thing I had doubts on since even his TV Asahi bio doesn't say anything about his origin, just that he’s a Bugster. 

The evil new Genm Corp CEO also appears and brings Poppy Pipopapo with him, apparently having brainwashed her to take part in the new game. I was asked about what I thought about the twist that she's actually evil, but I'm pretty sure the intent is that she was one of the good Bugsters and it just so happened that this guy turned her evil. It makes me less sad to think of it that way.

This scene alone has led to two theories about Kamen Rider Chronos, the Rider who uses Kamen Rider Chronicle to transform. Based solely on the fact that Parado is holding the Gashat, no, I don't think Parado is Chronos. he is Para-DX and you so rarely have someone go from one Rider identity to another like this. In fact, Malus > Jam in Gaim is the only example coming to mind right now.

And based solely on the fact that he has little motivation or personality, I don't think Graphite is Chronos either. But I kinda wanna believe that Graphite theory is born out of a desperation for Graphite to not be a waste of a character, because honestly I don’t think he’s earned the role of “main villain for the rest of the show“.

Anyway, things got pretty heavy this month! Ex-Aid went to Planet Robobot, some asshole died, and a poorly-written hero kicked off a fun episode about teamwork only to leave us with the revelation that Kamen Rider Chronicle lives on - the foreboding premonition of the new beginning...

So a few months ago, when we were only 1/4 of the way through Ex-Aid, I made some predictions. Let’s see how I did.

I think that Kamen Rider Lazer as we knew him is gone. We know that Ex-Aid will use the Bakusou Bike Gashat in his belt to summon the bike, and I think that’s the extent of his return we’ll be seeing, no new character as Lazer and no robotic Rider - as cool as that’d be.

So far, that’s still true, at least for the show. The movies and Televikun spinoff don’t count because that’s a temporary fanservice revival. Yes that’s what I think of as the toku equivalent of fanservice.

When it comes to Genm... I think he’ll still be around for a while. But I’ll be surprised if Ex-Aid’s next power-up (after Double Action Gamer) doesn’t kill him off. We simply haven’t seen anything beyond Zombie Gamer and it’s Level X. Ex-Aid will far surpass that, along with our next Rider.

Someone pick up the phone, because I called it~ But in all seriousness, I didn’t think I would be so accurate with that claim.

Speaking of Para-DX/Parado, I think we’re gonna learn something interesting about him. In particular, maybe he’s NOT a Bugster? There’s just something fishy about how he looks at Emu in battle. Perhaps he’s an old friend who’s become a monster, or if he is still a Bugster maybe he’s one of the first. I expect him to be something more than just some throwaway guy like Graphite.

Parado has certainly been more of a character than Graphite was, but I don’t think we’ve received any history on him beyond being a Bugster. I was right to suspect that his looks at Emu were fishy, but that had more to do with Emu being the first infected with the Bugster Virus. I’m gonna consider that prediction undetermined.

Now then, let’s make some new predictions!

Kamen Rider Chronicle sure is chaotic. I say that knowing the next episode has already aired and people keep asking me my thoughts on it - naturally I've been spoiled on some stuff. But I think that the effects of Chronicle are gonna be temporary, and all of the deaths resulting from it will be undone somehow. I mean if that's not the case, that's the most civilian death I think we've had since Kuuga. Ride-Players will probably all go away after that, meaning Niko's chance to be a Rider will probably be short-lived.

Next up, Kamen Rider Chronos. I really still believe Kuroto's dad is going to be him. Not Parado, not Graphite, just a man we keep seeing in prison. He's got an intimidating visage to him I look forward to seeing in a Rider belt.

We're getting Poppy Pipopapo as Kamen Rider Poppy, and due to the nature of female Riders, people have low expectations for where she'll go. Some think she might even die! But based on the blue-eyed version of her in the opening (as opposed to the red eyes on the physical suit we've seen in the preview), I suspect she'll turn good and still get to fight as a Rider. At worst, she might get the Buggle Driver II taken away from her so that Chronos can use it.

And since Para-Dx is the last big thing to expect this month, let's see if I can get another good death prediction in: I think that Parado will be a major antagonist for the heroes now that he's been boosted to Level 99, which is gonna be a close rival to Ex-Aid's Maximum Gamer form. Maybe he's even immune to the reprogramming powers! But if there's anything to take him down a peg, it'll be Ex-Aid's final form. Let's just hope he gets in some character development/history before then.

A lot of these are admittedly focused on the upcoming month, but I won’t revisit them until we’ve hit month 9. Can you believe we’re at the halfway point already?!